The Missing Party

Cade’s class, for once, was in a hurry to get back inside from recess. The teacher had planned a party for everyone because they had been so good the last few weeks. Before they left, she had set out all the treats on a long table. He couldn’t wait to get back and have a delicious snack and some extra free time with his classmates.

As the teacher gave the signal to go inside, everyone lined up. The others were just as excited as Cade. This would be the first party they had been given this school year. As they entered the classroom, everyone froze in their tracks. The table where all the party food had been before they had left for recess was empty! All that remained were a few crumbs.

“What happened?” Kaitlynn Jeffreys shouted to no one in particular.

All of the students began to mumble at once. Then they noticed the cutout paw prints on the floor. There was a trail of tiny gray prints leading away from the table and down the hall.

“It looks like a mouse has taken all of our food,” their teacher declared. “We’d better follow those prints and go rescue our party before it’s too late.”

Excited now, the students lined up and began to follow the construction paper cutout paw prints out the door and down the hall. The prints took them all over the school and finally outside the library doors.

“Surprise!” shouted the librarian and her assistants as the class entered the room. There on two tables were all the treats for the party. Stuffed mice were sitting all around the food, and there were tons of books about mice placed all around the edges of the table. Cade couldn’t wait to eat, but he also couldn’t wait to check out one of the great-looking books the librarian had placed around the tables.