Free The Pearl of Bengal by Sir Steve Stevenson

GROSSET & DUNLAP
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    Original Title: Agatha Mistery: La perla del Bengala
    Text by Sir Steve Stevenson
    Original cover and illustrations by Stefano Turconi
    English language edition copyright © 2013 Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Original edition published by Istituto Geografico De Agostini S.p.A., Italy, 2010. © 2010 Atlantyca Dreamfarm s.r.l., Italy
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    Published in 2013 by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014. GROSSET &t DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
    ISBN: 978-0-698-14388-3



SECOND MISSION
Agents

    Agatha
    Twelve years old, an aspiring mystery writer; has a formidable memory

    Dash
    Agatha’s cousin and student at the private school Eye International Detective Academy

    Chandler
    Butler and former boxer with impeccable British style

    Watson
    Obnoxious Siberian cat with the nose of a bloodhound

    Uncle Rudyard
    An adventurous wildlife photographer and animal wrangler

DESTINATION
India
New Delhi
The Bay of Bengal

OBJECTIVE

    To find a priceless jewel, the legendary Pearl of Bengal, stolen from the temple of the goddess Kali in the Ganges River Delta.

I t was a Saturday afternoon in mid-October. Dashiell Mistery was elbowing his way through a sea of umbrellas that had popped up like mushrooms when a sudden downpour hit. Within minutes, all of London was drenched. The bustling city streets were as muddy and gray as a scene out of Dickens.
    Fourteen years old and as thin as a rake, Dash was a typical teenage boy, except for his secret obsession. He was studying to be a detective, though he told everybody he met that he was pursuing an online degree in marketing.
    Only a few family members knew the truth.Among them was his extraordinary younger cousin, Agatha Mistery.
    “Watch where you’re going!” scolded a woman standing in front of a wig shop. In his rush, Dash had bumped into her, knocking her leather purse into a puddle. He scooped it up, shook it dry, and shoved it back into her hands.
    “Here you go. Good as new!” he gasped, speeding away as she stood there sputtering. His best friends were waiting for him at the Hastings Street Bowling Alley, and if the church-tower clock he’d just passed was correct, he was already twenty minutes late.
    As usual, Dash had taken his sweet time waking up. He’d slapped down his snooze-alarm several times, grabbed a slice of cold pizza while playing a rap mix he’d burned, and zoomed out of his penthouse