The Case of the Fleeing Fang Read online

Or he will go crazy

  when he hears

  all the rhymed commands.”

  “I will put him in the kitchen,”

  Annie said.

  Annie was back in a minute.

  I went on.

  “You said that when

  you say one line,

  Fang does the

  other line instead.

  When the rhymes were

  trick and lick,

  Fang licked first.

  Then you said wait and gate.

  So Fang went to the gate

  before he waited.

  Then you said park.

  But Rosamond stopped you

  before you told us

  what rhymed with park.”

  I looked around the room.

  “What doggie rhyme

  goes with park?”

  “I’m too smart to answer

  such an easy question,”

  Rosamond said.

  “We all know it’s bark,” I said.

  “Right,” Annie said. “The rhyme

  was park and bark. Go on.”

  “When the two tiny poodles

  went up to Fang and barked,

  you said, ‘Bark! Bark! Bark!’

  Fang thought it was a command.

  The command that rhymed with

  Go to the park.

  And that’s where he went.

  And that’s where I found him.

  I, Nate the Great, knew

  that Fang would never be

  afraid of two tiny poodles.

  So he had to have another

  reason to run away.”

  “You solved a case

  on your day off,”

  Esmeralda said.

  “There’s another thing

  about this case,” I said.

  “Fang wasn’t really missing.”

  I turned to Annie and Harry.

  “You were!

  Fang went where he thought

  you told him to go.

  He thought you would show up.

  If Fang could talk,

  he would tell you

  that this was the Case of

  the Missing Annie and Harry.”

  Rosamond clapped her hands.

  “Now we can start our party.”

  She went into the kitchen.

  “Fang has the ice cream.

  All over him!” she said.

  “You did not solve

  this case fast enough.

  At least we have the

  tuna fish pancakes.”

  “Never mind,” I said.

  “I will make all of you detectives

  my special pancakes.

  They even have a special name.”

  I made stacks and stacks.

  “At last we eat!” Rosamond said.

  Everyone sat down.

  “Happy Detective Day,

  Nate the Great,”

  Annie said.

  “We’re all detectives today,”

  Rosamond said.

  “We all worked hard.”

  “You’re right,” I said.

  “In fact, there are more

  detectives than you

  know about.”

  First, you have to think.

  Second, it helps to have a helper.

  I have a great one.

  Sludge. But it’s all right if you don’t.

  You have to remember.

  You have to notice

  people, places, and things.

  You have to look

  for facts and clues.

  You have to ask questions.

  You have to

  take ideas apart

  and put them together again.

  You have to figure out

  what is important.

  And what isn’t.

  Here are some fun things to do

  that can help you be

  a better detective.

  I, Nate the Great, say

  that you should

  have a grown-up help you.

  Believe me, grown-ups can

  be great detectives too.

  Sometimes it is important for a detective to leave a coded message. And sometimes a detective must unscramble a coded message to solve a case.

  Each symbol matches up with a letter of the alphabet. Match them up correctly and you’ll be well on your way to being a great detective!

  (Answer: Welcome! You cracked the secret code!)

  Sometimes a detective has to go undercover. This means changing the way you look so that no one recognizes you.

  Do you recognize these disguised people?

  Now get a photograph of your mom, dad, brother, or sister. Place tracing paper over the photo and trace the image. Next, think up a disguise that would make it hard to know who the person is. Show your masterful makeover to the person in question and see if they recognize themselves.

  (Answers: A. Annie B. Nate C. Rosamond D. Fang)

  Take a second look next time you see a blank piece of paper. It may not be as blank as it seems.

  You may want to leave someone you know an invisible message.

  You will need:

  1. Lemon juice in a bowl.

  2. A thin paintbrush.

  3. White or pink paper.

  Dip the paintbrush in the lemon juice and write something you don’t want others to read. Wait for the paper to dry. Poof! What you wrote cannot be seen. Or can it? Hold the paper up to a bright light. What you wrote is now visible again!

  Nate the Great loves to eat pancakes every time he works on a case.

  Main Ingredient

  One grown-up to help you

  Ingredients

  1-2/3 cups of milk

  1 egg

  2-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  1-1/2 cups flour

  1-1/2 tablespoons sugar

  1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1. Mix the milk, egg, and oil in a bowl.

  2. In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

  3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones.

  4. Beat with a whisk until the mixture is smooth.

  5. Lightly oil a pan and heat it.

  6. Pour a small ladleful of batter into the hot pan. Spread into a circle.

  7. Cook about 3 minutes on each side.

  8. Repeat until you have a nice stack of pancakes.

  Makes about 12 pancakes.

  Latkes—also called potato pancakes—are Nate the Great’s special pancakes for special occasions.

  Main Ingredient

  One grown-up to help you

  Ingredients

  2 eggs

  1/3 cup flour

  1/4 cup grated onion

  1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

  4 large potatoes, peeled and shredded

  3 tablespoons butter

  1. Combine the eggs, flour, onion, and pepper in a bowl.

  2. Rinse the shredded potatoes and blot dry with a paper towel. Stir into the egg mixture.

  3. Melt 1-1/2 tablespoons of the butter in a pan. Use medium heat.

  4. Spoon 1/3 cup of the mixture into the pan. Spread into a circle.

  5. Cook 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

  Makes 12 pancakes.

  Serve with applesauce or sour cream.

  Do you remember the missing word on page five?

  Have you found the answer yet? It’s…

  BARKED

  That’s the missing word!

  And because you worked hard to find the answer,

  here’s a treat just for you.

  Main Ingredient

  One grown-up to help you

  Ingredients

  2 pints strawberry ice cream

  4 cups milk

  Ginger ale

  Strawberries (optional)

  1. Place ice cream in a large mixing b
owl. Let it soften.

  2. Add the milk and beat with an eggbeater until smooth.

  3. Pour into tall glasses until halfway full.

  4. Add ginger ale and stir.

  5. Decorate with a strawberry.

  6. Drink through a straw.

  Makes 6–9 Milk Shake Surprises

  Enjoy!

  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.

  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.