Level 9Free online reader Tap ▶ to hear each page — words light up as they are read.
The end! 🎉 There are many more books like this in the app — with quizzes, a picture dictionary, and read & record.
It is a bright morning. Clover Lane wakes early. A blue feather sits on every step. Neighbors point, smile, and wonder.
Ruby and Jay run a club. Their club is for mysteries. It meets in Ruby's garden shed. Biscuit the dog is their helper.
Feathers arrive on the shed table. Ruby lines seven feathers up like evidence. She writes The Blue Feather in her notebook. Jay polishes his magnifying glass.
Clue one is on windowsills. Ruby sees tiny scratch marks. Small lines cross the paint. Something small lands, then pushes off.
Clue two is on the fence. A sunflower seed shell rests there. Jay taps it and thinks. Who eats seeds here?
Mrs. Okafor waves a feather duster. It looks busy and fluffy. But the feathers are grey, not blue. She laughs and sweeps the steps.
Biscuit trots and sniffs for snacks. He stops at the corner house. It is empty and quiet. Biscuit barks and stares up the chimney.
A soft scratch comes from inside. Soot drifts down the bricks. Jay whispers, It could be a bird. Ruby nods and writes the clue.
Ruby plans a gentle test. She sets sunflower seeds on the wall. Jay fills a bowl with water. They step back and wait quietly.
A bright blue head peeks from the chimney. A feather floats down like a leaf. The bird hops lower, then lands. It pecks seeds and drinks.
Ruby reads the leg band. It says Chico. Chico is a lost blue parrot. He shelters in the chimney. He looks for his family and drops feathers.
Ruby and Jay make posters. Ruby draws a blue parrot. Jay writes, Have you lost Chico? They hang posters on Clover Lane. Neighbors promise to watch.
At dusk, a woman arrives. She carries a green cage. Her eyes shine with happy tears. She calls, Chico! Chico flaps and answers with a joyful squawk.
Chico climbs onto her arm. He rubs his head. Everyone cheers and laughs. Chico squawks, 'Case closed!' It is his new favorite phrase.
In the shed, Ruby writes the case card. She pins it on the cork board. Biscuit gets a biscuit for helping. He looks extremely proud and waggy.
Ruby and Jay list the clues. Scratches on sills. A seed shell on the fence. Biscuit barks at the chimney. The false lead is the grey duster. Case closed.
← About this book · More Level 9 books
