Horrible Harry Cracks the Code

Table of Contents

 

 

“Why are you so happy, Harry?” I whispered.

“I just got a case!” he replied. “The biggest case ever in Room 3B! Who in our room will get a lucky lunch tray!”

“But that's impossible!” I said.

“Not for the world's second best detective! Me! You heard Mrs. Funderburke,” Harry explained. “She has a special set of numbers. All I have to do is figure out what it is, and bingo! Case solved!”

PUFFIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)
Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,
New Delhi - 110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue,
Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Registered Offices: Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published in the United States of America by Viking,
a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2007
Published by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2008

Text copyright © Suzy Kline, 2007

Illustrations copyright © Frank Remkiewicz, 2007
All rights reserved

 

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA IS AVAILABLE.

eISBN : 978-1-101-00265-0

 

 

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume
any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

My grandson Jacob DeAngelis, who first told me about the lucky lunch trays at his Peter Woodbury Elementary School. Thank you so much for all your help! You really inspired this story! I love you!

 

My granddaughter Mikenna Hurtuk, who asked me to tell her each chapter as I wrote it. Thanks for your interest and questions! I love you!

 

Pat Bromback, the cafeteria aide at Brookside Elementary School in Ossining, New York, who shared lots of stories with me.

 

The “Ketchup Lady” at Helen Keller School in Franklin, Massachusetts. I can see how you brighten the children's day, Terry Fenton!

 

Nasif Mahmud, Sudman Murshed, Himanashu Darji, and Marco Mino at PS 152 in Queens, New York. Thanks for all your help. I loved being at your school for two days.

 

Jennifer Kim and Kwan Kane, who helped me with Korean good luck.

 

And a heartfelt thank-you to my husband Rufus, who suggested the deerstalker hat and the Fibonacci sequence. I love you!

 

And a special appreciation for Dr. Ron Knott's Web site on the Fibonacci numbers, hosted by the Mathematics Department of the University of Surrey, UK. And the
Kidshealth.org
Web site for a collection of fascinating facts about the Nose Knows.

 

And especially to the three important people who helped me shape this story—Horrible Harry's talented artist, Frank Remkiewicz; my very sharp editor, Catherine Frank; and my hardworking book designer, Sam Kim.

M
y name is Doug, and I'm in third grade. I write stories about my best friend Harry. He's the guy who loves slimy things, creepy things, and horrible things. He's also the guy who loves being a detective.

He sure messed up his last case, though.

Mary was talking about it at noontime. We were all eating lunch at Room 3B's cafeteria table.

“Harry, I can't believe you thought Miss Mackle was engaged to the music teacher!” she groaned. “You were so sure it was Mr. Marks! Some detective you are!”

Harry stuffed an orange wedge in his mouth and flashed Mary a jack-o'-lantern smile.

“Arrrrrrr aar arrrr,” he mumbled.

Song Lee giggled.

Mary ignored Harry. She gently pressed her packet of ketchup four times to make tiny red dots on her hot dog.

When Sidney squeezed his packet of ketchup, it squirted all over the place. A few drops even landed on Song Lee's pretty white sweater! The pansy on her sleeve was not purple and yellow anymore.

It was red.

Harry immediately took out his orange wedge and dropped it on his blue lunch tray. “Hey, Sid! You got ketchup on Song Lee's sweater! How 'bout saying you're sorry?”

“But it's not my fault,” Sid whined. “I can't help it if my ketchup packet doesn't work right.”

Song Lee used her spork to scrape off the ketchup. When she finished, we could see a big pink smudge on her sleeve.

“Oh, no! Your favorite sweater is ruined!” Mary groaned.

Harry ripped open one corner of his ketchup packet, leaned toward Sidney, and squeezed it with one mighty push.

Ketchup landed on Sidney's face.

“Eweeyeee!” Ida said. “Sidney has a bloody nose.”

“And bloody teeth!” Mary added.

“But it's not my fault!” Harry replied. “I can't help it if my ketchup packet doesn't work right.”

Those were the exact words Sid used!

When Sidney wiped his face with a napkin, he missed some ketchup under his nose. It looked like he had a red mustache!

“Very funny, Harry the Canary!” Sid growled. “Only, I forgot to laugh.”

“You'd better not forget to apologize to Song Lee,” Harry said. “Or else . . .”

“Or else what?” Sid demanded.

“Or else it's a . . . ketchup war,” Harry said, “between you and me!”

“Bring it on, El Tweeto!”

“After you, Sid the Squid!”

Both boys reached for a ketchup packet. Both ripped off one corner.

We all leaned back and got out of the way.

“Fire one!” Sid said, aiming the packet at Harry's face.

Harry quickly bowed in prayer. The ketchup plopped on top of Harry's head. It blended in well with his red hair.

“Fire two!” Harry said as he bobbed up, leaned forward, and squeezed his packet hard at Sid.

Ketchup sprayed along the table.

Most of it landed on Sid's cheek and chin!

Harry ran his fingers through his hair. “Ketchup gel is cool, Sid. Thanks for my new 'do!”

Sidney grabbed his napkin and wiped his face again. He wasn't smiling like Harry. Slowly, he turned and looked at Song Lee. “I'm sorry I got ketchup on you,” he said. “I don't like it on me either.”

“It was an accident,” Song Lee replied with a forgiving smile. “It's okay, Sidney.”