Nate the Great and the Musical Note Read online

  “That’s a wonderful idea.

  But it’s the wrong answer to this case.”

  I looked at Sludge.

  He wasn’t a genius yet.

  Maybe later.

  “I will be back,” I said.

  Sludge and I rushed out

  of the garage and went home.

  It was getting close to four o’clock.

  There was time only for quick pancakes.

  I gave Sludge a bone.

  I had to eat fast

  and think faster.

  Rosamond said I was a sharp detective.

  But this case had fallen

  as flat as my pancakes.

  Rosamond said that Pip should know

  what her note meant

  because he had taken piano lessons.

  But what about the steps?

  I knew they were not

  dance steps.

  And suddenly I knew more.

  Pip was supposed to take the

  steps on the piano!

  I looked at Rosamond’s note again.

  She had underlined the words “A note.”

  Why did she underline them?

  Because it meant something.

  It meant an A note on the piano!

  I, Nate the Great, knew

  where an A note was.

  I, too, had taken a piano lesson

  from Rosamond.

  I got a piece of paper

  and a pencil.

  I drew a picture of the piano keys

  that Rosamond had used

  to play the scale.

  Then I put my finger

  on the A note.

  I moved my finger

  to the left.

  I kept going until I reached…

  middle C!

  The middle of the riddle!

  So if Pip stepped up from the middle

  with his finger, where would he be?

  He would be at C-sharp.

  Big Hex’s favorite note.

  The answer to Rosamond’s riddle

  was C-sharp!

  I, Nate the Great, had the answer

  to this case at last!

  Only one problem was left.

  I did not know what the answer meant.

  And I had only five minutes left

  to find out.

  I looked at Sludge.

  He was happy eating his bone.

  This had not been a good case

  for Sludge.

  He had almost been stung by a bee.

  And Pip had tripped over him.

  How could Pip trip over a dog?

  Pip’s hair covers half his face.

  It’s hard for him to see anything.

  I knew that from the beginning.

  But at last I knew it was important!

  Sludge had helped with the case

  after all.

  He had let himself be tripped over.

  Sludge and I rushed over

  to Rosamond’s garage.

  We walked in.

  Pip was playing the piano.

  Rosamond was teaching.

  The cats were singing.

  I said, “I, Nate the Great,

  have solved the case.

  The answer to the riddle

  is a piano note.

  The note is C-sharp.

  At four o’clock

  Pip is going to see sharp!”

  Pip spoke up. “What do you mean?”

  “You are going to get a haircut,”

  I said. “So you will see sharp.

  Right, Rosamond?”

  “Right,” Rosamond said.

  “Pip’s mother said

  she is taking him for a haircut.

  But I like the idea

  of dancing lessons better.”

  “So do I,” Pip said.

  “I hate haircuts.”

  Pip stopped talking.

  Pip started running.

  Pip started tripping.

  He really needed a haircut.

  He fell over Super Hex.

  Super Hex screeched middle C.

  I picked up Pip.

  Rosamond picked up Super Hex.

  The case was over.

  I reached into my pocket,

  pulled out five cents,

  and gave it to Rosamond.

  Then Sludge and I left the garage,

  walked to the street, turned,

  and started home.

  I was singing.

  Sludge was howling.

  I heard a third sound.

  Bells were chiming four o’clock.

  Nate’s Notes: Pianos

  Nate’s Notes: Fingerprints

  How to Make Your Own Musical Instrument

  Funny Pages

  How to Lift a Fingerprint

  Three Types of Fingerprints

  More Funny Pages

  Pianos are cool but costly. Another cool instrument is called a rainstick. You can make one at home for about a buck—good for a detective on a budget!

  Ask an adult to help you.

  GET TOGETHER:

  • a cardboard tube. Try a mailing tube, a paper towel roll, or even a toilet paper tube. Any size will work.

  • about four dozen nails (more for a big tube). The nails should be about half as long as the distance across your tube. It’s okay if they’re longer, but they shouldn’t be long enough to poke through the other side.

  • a hammer, if you’re using a thick tube like a mailing tube

  • end caps for the tube OR a piece of construction paper, a pencil, and scissors

  • colorful masking tape

  • 1 cup of rice, lentils, or dried beans

  MAKE YOUR RAINSTICK:

  1. Hammer the nails into the tube. If your tube is small, you can push the nails in without a hammer. Just be sure that the nails are more or less evenly spaced.

  2. Close up one end of the tube. Use a cap if you have one. If not, trace one end of the tube onto construction paper. Cut out the circle. Tape it in place.

  3. Pour the rice, lentils, or beans into the tube.

  4. Close up the other end of the tube.

  5. Use the masking tape to decorate the tube. This will also help hold the nails in place. Cover the ends with tape, too.

  6. To play your new instrument, slowly turn it over. You should hear the sound of rain falling.

  The people of Mexico have made rainsticks for many years. The idea may have originally come from Africa.

  Q: Why did the piano player keep hitting the keys with the side of his head?

  A: He was playing by ear.

  Q: What’s the difference between a piano and a tuna fish?

  A: You can’t tuna fish.

  A: Sure you can! Just adjust its scales.

  Man 1: I’ve come to tune your piano.

  Man 2: I didn’t call you.

  Man 1: I know. Your next-door neighbor did.

  The piano is more than three hundred years old. So is the statement “But I don’t WANT to practice.”

  People never stop leaving their fingerprints behind. If you try, you can pick up, or “lift,” someone’s prints. Use the following tips.

  Ask an adult to help you.

  GET TOGETHER:

  • a paintbrush

  • a piece of charcoal

  • clear tape

  • white paper

  CAPTURE A FINGERPRINT:

  1. “Paint” the charcoal until your paintbrush is covered with black dust.

  2. Gently brush the dust onto a surface where you think there may be fingerprints. HINT: Fingerprints are easiest to lift off hard, smooth surfaces. Try a drinking glass, a doorknob, or the cookie jar.

  3. Press a piece of clear tape on top of any prints you see.

  4. Stick the tape onto white paper. You’ve just “lifted” a fingerprint!

  5. Don’t forget to clean any areas you’ve dusted.

  Using an
ink pad, collect fingerprint samples from your family and other people who spend time at your house. Then you can compare your “lifted” fingerprints with the samples.

  Having a hard time finding fingerprints? Try putting a few of your own prints on a glass. Sticky or oily fingers leave the best prints.

  Each fingerprint is different, but there are three main types of fingerprint patterns.

  An arch is formed by lines running from one side of the finger to the other. The lines curve up in the middle.

  A loop has a steeper curve than an arch. The lines begin and end on the same side.

  A whorl is a spiral pattern with one dot in the center.

  Some fingerprints, though, don’t fit any of these three patterns:

  A composite print is one that mixes two of the main types, like a whorl and a loop.

  An accidental print is one that’s too weird to fit into any of the main types. It might look like a squashed whorl or have extra dots. There aren’t many of these.

  Knock, knock.

  Who’s there?

  Stopwatch.

  Stopwatch who?

  Stop watch you’re doing right now!

  Q: What’s up a clean nose?

  A: Fingerprints!

  Q: Why isn’t Fang a good dancer?

  A: Because he has two left feet!

  Q: Where do fortune-tellers dance?

  A: At the crystal ball.

  Q: What is a pig’s favorite ballet?

  A: Swine Lake!

  Q: Where did the spaghetti go to dance?

  A: The meatball.

  Q: Where did the computer go to dance?

  A: The disc-o!

  Q: What kind of dance do you do in the sink?

  A: A tap dance!

  Q: Why was the ballerina a great debater?

  A: She always got right to the pointe.

  Q: Where do you go to learn how to belly dance?

  A: The navel academy!

  Q: How do belly dancers keep their costumes together?

  A: With belly buttons.

  Q: What kind of music do frogs like?

  A: Hip-hop!

  Q: What’s a geologist’s favorite kind of music?

  A: Rock!

  Q: What do you call a car with music coming out of it?

  A: A car-toon!

  Q: What’s green and sings?

  A: Elvis Parsley!

  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 world’s 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.

  CRAIG SHARMAT is a Los Angeles–based author, composer, and guitarist. His extensive credits include national television programs, feature films, and jingles. He is the coauthor of several Nate the Great books.

  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.

  the Great and the Musical Note