The New Year Dragon Dilemma

BOOK: The New Year Dragon Dilemma
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Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose aren’t the only kid detectives!

What about you?

Can you find the hidden message inside this book?

There are 26 illustrations in this book, not counting the one on the title page, the map at the beginning, and the picture of the crown that repeats at the start of many of the chapters. In each of the 26 illustrations, there’s a hidden letter. If you can find all the letters, you will spell out a secret message!

If you’re stumped, the answer is on
this page
.

Happy detecting!

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2011 by Ron Roy
Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © 2011 by John Steven Gurney

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Random House and the colophon and A to Z Mysteries are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon and the A to Z Mysteries colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Visit us on the Web!
SteppingStonesBooks.com
randomhouse.com/kids

Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools,
visit us at
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Roy, Ron.
The New Year dragon dilemma / by Ron Roy ; illustrated by John Steven Gurney.
  p. cm. — (A to Z mysteries. Super edition ; #5)
“A Stepping Stone book.”
Summary: Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are enjoying a visit to San Francisco when
Holden, their college-age tour guide, is accused of abducting Miss Chinatown from
the Chinese New Year parade and stealing her valuable crown.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89963-8
[1. Mystery and detective stories. 2. Robbers and outlaws—Fiction. 3. Chinese New
Year—Fiction. 4. San Francisco (Calif.)—Fiction. 5. Chinatown (San Francisco, Calif.)—
Fiction.] I. Gurney, John Steven, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.R8139New 2011
[Fic]—dc23
2011015145

Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

v3.1

To Dr. Emily Stanley, who encouraged me to write
.
For making me rewrite again and again, thank you!
—R.R
.

To Norman, the biggest San Francisco Giants fan ever
—J.S.G
.

Contents

“Holden, here we are!” Dink yelled. “Sorry we’re late!”

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose ran toward the tall young man with black hair. It was February school break, and the kids were with Dink’s father in San Francisco, California. Mr. Duncan had business meetings, and he’d brought Dink and his two best friends along. They were staying at the Bayside Hotel. The hotel was near Chinatown, where a lot of Chinese people lived and had businesses.

“Hi, guys,” Holden said. Holden Wong was leaning against a three-wheeled buggy he called his Green Machine. The contraption looked like a bike, and Holden pedaled it like a bike. But there was an umbrella to keep out the rain and sun, and a narrow bench where two or three passengers could sit.

Dink’s father had hired Holden to show the kids the San Francisco sights. Like Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose, Holden was on school vacation. He was in college, studying acting. He wanted to move to Hollywood and work in the movies after he graduated.

“I like your shirt,” Ruth Rose said. “We match today!”

Holden’s T-shirt was lime-green. It said
GREEN MACHINE
on the front, with a map of San Francisco on the back. It was a cool day, and he had tied a white sweater around his waist.

Holden unlatched a small compartment under the passenger bench. He pulled out a green helmet shaped like half of an oversized lime. “I like your outfit, too,” he said.

Ruth Rose liked to dress in one color. Today she had chosen green for her sweatshirt, pants, sneakers, scarf, and hat.

“Gee, Dink and I should have worn green, too,” Josh said. “We’d look like a salad!” Josh carried his sketchbook and a few pencils. He wanted to be an artist when he grew up.

Dink grinned at Josh. “Not everything is about food, Josh,” he said.

“Hop on,” Holden said. “We’re going to Fisherman’s Wharf.”

“What’s there?” Dink asked after they sat on the bench.

“Lots of stuff,” Holden said. “Fishing boats, shops, food stands, and tons of
tourists!” He strapped on his helmet and pedaled into traffic.

Ruth Rose pulled a small guidebook from a pocket. “I read that there are seals at Fisherman’s Wharf,” she said. “Will we be able to see them?”

Holden laughed. “They’re actually sea lions. You’ll see them, smell them, and hear them!” he said over his shoulder.

“Cool!” Josh said. “Can I get close enough to sketch them?”

“Probably,” Holden said. “But they smell so bad, you won’t want to get
too
close!”

Holden pedaled along the busy streets. It was late afternoon, and the city was crowded. Everywhere the kids looked, they saw taxis, bikes, motorcycles, buses, and people. Dink saw a dog walker with six dogs on leashes! He was glad they had Holden for a guide. It would be easy to get lost
in a city as busy as San Francisco.

“Hold on!” Holden yelled over his shoulder. “Steep hill!” The street dipped down suddenly, making Dink’s stomach do a little flip-flop. Far ahead, he could see the ocean.

“It’s like a roller-coaster ride!” Josh cried.

The street leveled off at the bottom, and soon they arrived at Fisherman’s Wharf. Holden parked his bike and everyone hopped off. Thin fog swirled around them.

“What’s that honking noise?” Josh asked.

“The sea lions,” Holden said. “Follow me!”

The kids gaped as they walked beside Holden. They had to dodge people buying ice cream, pretzels, and coffee from street vendors. Dink saw several jugglers and artists who sketched people
for money. One man had a cat that was doing tricks.

“This is like a carnival!” Ruth Rose said.

As they walked closer to the ocean, the fog grew thicker and the sea-lion honking got louder. Dink took a deep breath, enjoying the ocean smell. Through the fog, he saw several small boats tied to moorings or the end of piers.

“I see the sea lions!” Josh said, pointing. “Let’s go closer.”

BOOK: The New Year Dragon Dilemma
8.6Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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