Free The Case of the Library Monster by Dori Hillestad Butler, Jeremy Tugeau, Dan Crisp Page A

head and watch as a book on the bottom shelf slowly slides out of place. Then the book next to it slides out, too. Those books are moving all by themselves.
    Maybe there really is a ghost in this school?
    Sniff ... sniff ... sniff. There’s a strange smell coming from those shelves. Something I’ve never smelled before. Is this what ghosts smell like?
    “Okay, Jemma,” Mrs. Christie says to the girl who’s reading to me. “It’s time to go back to your class.”
    “Awww,” Jemma groans. “Can’t I stay a little longer? I’m almost done with my book.”
    “I’m sorry,” Mrs. Christie says. “We have a special visitor coming this morning, so we need to stop.”
    “Who’s the special visitor?” Jemma asks.
    “Bob, the Reptile Guy,” Mrs. Christie replies. “He’ll be here any minute, so I have to help Mrs. Warner set up for his visit. And Buddy needs to go back to Mrs. Keene’s office.”
    Yes, but before I go back to the office, I need to find out if there’s a ghost hiding in those bookshelves.
    Jemma closes her book. “Can I do a trick with Buddy before I go?”
    “A quick one,” Mrs. Christie says. “Why don’t you give him a high five.”
    I lift my paw and high-five Jemma. Then I yank my leash out of Mrs. Christie’s grip and hightail it over to the bookshelves, my leash dragging behind me.
    Sniff ... sniff ... sniff ...
    Whatever is over there, it’s on the bottom shelf. Behind all those books.
    I paw at the books until they drop to the floor and WHOA! That’s not a ghost hiding in there. It’s a MONSTER. A strange, creepy-looking monster!

2
Busted!
    For a monster, he’s not very big. In fact, he’s way smaller than I am. And he doesn’t have any fur. He has short, stubby legs with fingers and toes, scaly skin, and a long, skinny, BLUE tongue! I’ve never met anyone with a tongue like that before.
    “Who are you?” I ask, sniffing him. “ What are you? Where did you come from?”
    He stares at me with round little eyes. Man, he smells strange! Sort of like sand ... and lettuce ... but something else, too.
    I notice an open window at the end of the aisle. “Did you crawl in through the window?” I ask.
    The monster scurries back behind the books.
    “Hey!” I say. More books fall to the floor. “I’m talking to you!”
    But that monster is FAST! I climb over the books and stick my head under the shelf so I can see him. He’s climbing up the inside of the shelves!
    “Where are you going?” I ask him. “You can’t hide in our bookshelves. Mrs. Warner wouldn’t like it.”
    I hear footsteps behind me. “What are you barking at, Buddy?” Mrs. Christie asks.
    More footsteps. And another voice: “WHAT ARE ALL THOSE BOOKS DOING ON THE FLOOR?”

    Uh-oh. That’s Mrs. Argus. She’s a teacher here. For some reason, she doesn’t like me very much.
    “I keep telling Mrs. Keene that dogs don’t belong in school.” Mrs. Argus scowls at the books that are scattered around my feet.
    Two or five kids peer around her. I can tell they think I’m a Bad Dog.
    “It’s not what you think,” I tell them. “There’s a monster hiding in the bookshelves!”
    Mrs. Christie smiles. “I wonder if Buddy’s found our mouse,” she says.
    “Mouse!” Mrs. Argus leaps back. I don’t think she likes mice any more than she likes me.
    “It’s not a mouse,” I say. “It’s a monster. A real, live, blue-tongued monster! He’s hiding behind the books. Let me try and get him to come out.” I scratch at the books and a few more come tumbling down.
    “Okay, okay, Buddy,” Mrs. Christie says, grabbing my leash. She bends down and peers between the shelves.
    “Do you see him?” I ask, wagging my tail. “Look up between the shelves! That’s where he went!”
    “Hello?” I hear a man’s voice behind me. “Do you ladies work here?”
    I turn. Hey, who’s that guy? Sniff ... sniff ... and what’s inside those cases he’s carrying?
    Mrs. Christie stands up. “You must be Bob, the