Free Sly the Sleuth and the Sports Mysteries by Donna Jo Napoli

Case # 1:
    Sly and the Soccer Switch

My Policies
    I’m Sly the Sleuth. I run an agency called Sleuth for Hire. People bring me their problems. I solve them. So far I have solved every case.
    My father says I should not get too cocky about it. Cocky people make mistakes. Plus, no one likes them. And he points out that I’ve only had three cases so far. They were all about pets. And they rhymed: the case of the Fat Cat, the case of the Wish Fish, and the case of the Frog Dog.
    I’m not cocky. I’m just optimistic.
    I like solving problems. It’s fun.
    That’s one of my policies: I only take cases that are fun.
    And only cases that a cat would care about. So when someone tells me a problem, I first ask myself what my cat, Taxi, would think.
    These policies have never failed me yet. The cases I take make me happy.
    I love being a sleuth.
Islands
    My fourth case started with a bang.
    Brian and I were sitting on the floor drawing. Brian is my neighbor. He goes to nursery school.
    Bang! The porch door shook.
    Brian jumped to his feet. “Earthquake!” he screamed.
    â€œThere are no earthquakes around here,” I said.
    Bang!
    â€œVolcano!” screamed Brian.
    â€œNo volcanos either,” I said.
    Bang!
    â€œCall the police,” screamed Brian.
    I opened the door.
    A soccer ball hit me in the belly.
    â€œOuch,” I said.
    â€œSorry.” Jack fetched his ball and held it under one arm.
    â€œKnocking is better,” I said. “It’s more traditional.”
    â€œI can’t help it,” said Jack. “I love to kick.”
    â€œI love to kick too,” said Brian.
    They both looked at me. I shrugged. “I play baseball. Not a lot of kicking in baseball. What’s up, Jack?”

    â€œThere’s a problem.”
    â€œI knew it,” said Brian. “Lava!” he screamed.
    â€œWhat’s he talking about?” said Jack.
    â€œWhat are you talking about, Brian?”
    â€œBoom.” Brian swung his arms over his head. “Volcano, lava, islands. Water everywhere.”
    â€œBrian, has your teacher been talking about how islands are formed?”
    â€œWe can get boats,” said Brian. “I love boats. And Wilson will be happy. Islands are good for Wilson.”
    Wilson was Brian’s name for all his frogs. He had a few dozen.
    â€œHow do you do that?” said Jack. “How do you figure out what Brian’s talking about?”
    â€œI’ve had a lot of practice,” I said.
    â€œAnd you’re good at that sort of thing,” said Jack. “That’s why you can solve my case.”
Mistakes
    I went to the kitchen drawer.That’s where
    I keep my sharpest pencil and my special pad of paper. Those are tools of the trade.
    â€œStart at the beginning,” I said.
    â€œSoccer,” said Jack.
    Soccer is not my idea of fun. And Taxi hates soccer balls.
    I put the pencil and pad back in the drawer.
    â€œGo talk to your coach.”
    â€œCoach is baffled too,” said Jack.
    â€œBaffled?” said Brian.
    â€œConfused,” I said to Brian.
    â€œBaffled booffled,” said Brian.
    â€œGo back to your drawing,” I said.
    I sat on the floor, picked up my pen, and went back to my own drawing.
    â€œI need your help,” said Jack.
    â€œI don’t know anything about soccer.”
    â€œI do,” said Brian. “I know everything.”
    My drawing was homework. And I wasn’t going to finish it if Brian kept talking and Jack didn’t leave.
    I went back into the kitchen. I filled a bowl with brownies. I filled another bowl with grapes. I held both bowls in front of Brian.
    Brian stuffed a brownie in his mouth.
    I knew he would. His mother makes only health foods.
    I held the bowls in front of Jack.
    Jack stuffed grapes in his mouth. Then he stuffed brownies in his pockets.

    â€œWhat are you doing?” I said.
    â€œI might get hungry later,” said Jack.