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    A Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues
    A Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues
    A Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues
    Ebook72 pages53 minutes

    A Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues

    By Stacia Deutsch and Robin Oliver Boyden

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    About this ebook

    Ten-year-old Michael Wilson notices that strange things are happening at old Mrs. Vernon's house, just two doors down from his Shaker Street home. Crates are going in and out of the house all night long, and Mrs. Vernon, a curator at an art museum, has wet paint in her yard, of all places. Can Michael and his friends Liv and Leo put their maker skills to work and create some gadgets to figure out what the odd, old woman is up to? After the mystery's solved, readers can recreate the Mysterious Makers' tools with included instructions, and a glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts offer reading support.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCapstone Young Readers
    Release dateAug 1, 2017
    ISBN9781496555168
    A Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues
    Author

    Stacia Deutsch

    New York Times bestselling author Stacia Deutsch has written more than three hundred children's books, including The Jessie Files , a spin-off of the beloved Boxcar Children mystery series. Stacia lives in Temecula, California, where she is a member of the historical society. She loves hearing spooky stories! Find her online at www.staciadeutsch.com , @staciadeutsch_writes, and www.facebook/staciadeutsch .

    Read more from Stacia Deutsch

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      Book preview

      A Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues - Stacia Deutsch

      CHAPTER ONE

      Look at what I found! Ten-year-old Michael Wilson popped his head out from the large, gray, metal dumpster. His brown eyes twinkled. This is the best day ever!

      Michael’s cousin, Liv Hernandez, and best friend, Leo Hammer, were waiting for him. They were in a narrow alley behind a long row of shops.

      Liv leaned against the dumpster. Leo stood to the side, his hands tucked into his khaki pockets.

      I thought yesterday was the best day ever, Liv told Michael. Her dark ponytails jiggled when she laughed.

      You were super excited when we found those wooden clothespins in the dry cleaner’s trash, Leo said. He was nine, a year younger than Michael and Liv.

      Yep. Yesterday was good. But today’s better, Michael said. He was wearing his favorite baseball cap pulled low over his dark brown hair.

      Leo had created a computer program that tracked the garbage trucks in town. They were using it to track down the fullest dumpsters.

      Yesterday was the dry cleaners. Today, Michael was in the big bin behind Patsy’s Arts and Crafts.

      He held up two paintbrushes crusted with thick brown paint. One was very small, for fine lines. The other was big, for large blocks of color. Michael pressed his fingers against the smaller brush. The paint crumbled, like a dirt clump, into dust.

      That’s some weird paint, he observed, wiping his hands on his pants.

      He tossed the brushes to Leo in the alley. Leo missed them. But Liv managed to dive in for a save.

      Ah, man! I bought new paintbrushes just like these yesterday, she exclaimed, waving them around. I can’t believe you’re getting them for free!

      I’ll clean them up for you, Michael said, ready to duck down and see what else he could find. You can have these too.

      Suddenly, Mr. Patterson, the owner of Patsy’s Arts and Crafts, came barreling out his shop’s back door. What are you kids doing out here? he shouted. He was wearing a business suit and holding a big black trash bag in his hands.

      Mr. Patterson didn’t see Michael in the dumpster. He stared at Liv and Leo. Go away! he boomed in a loud voice.

      We, uh, but…, Leo mumbled as he backed away from Mr. Patterson.

      Very quietly, behind Mr. Patterson, Michael snuck out of the dumpster.

      Mr. Patterson leaned toward Leo’s face. What were you looking for? Are you spying on me?

      Leo backed up more. I… I… we… His face was flushed.

      Hey, Mr. Patterson, Michael said. He casually stepped forward. In his hands were two long narrow sticks, called dowels, and half a ball of twine. He held them out. We’re collecting trash.

      We like to make new things from old stuff, Liv boldly added, holding up the paintbrushes. If you want, we can make you something, she offered.

      Mr. Patterson was furious. He snagged the paintbrushes from Liv. Give me those! He anxiously looked up and down the alley. I’m going to call the sheriff.

      I don’t want to go to jail! Leo started to run away, but Michael stopped him.

      We aren’t doing anything wrong, Michael insisted. He looked at Mr. Patterson. You threw this stuff away.

      "It’s still my trash. Not yours. Don’t ever let

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