Grandma makes cookies every Saturday. Today, the plate is empty. Amy did not eat them. Who did? Amy decides to find out.
Amy walks into the kitchen on Saturday morning. She smells something sweet. Grandma’s cookies!
But the plate on the counter is empty. Only crumbs are left.
“Grandma!” Amy calls. “The cookies are gone!”
Grandma comes into the kitchen. She looks at the empty plate. “That’s strange,” she says. “I made twelve cookies this morning.”
“Did you eat them?” Amy asks.
“Not me,” Grandma says. “Maybe you should find out who did.”
Amy smiles. She loves a good mystery.
“First clue,” Amy says, looking closely at the counter. “Crumbs. A trail of crumbs!”
The crumbs go across the kitchen floor. Amy follows them carefully, step by step.
“The trail goes to the door,” Amy says.
She opens the kitchen door. The crumb trail continues outside, onto the porch.
“Someone went outside with cookies,” Amy says. “But who?”
Amy looks around the porch. She sees something small and brown near the steps. She picks it up carefully.
“A dog hair!” Amy says. “But we don’t have a dog.”
“The Hendersons next door have a dog,” Grandma says, joining Amy on the porch. “His name is Max. He’s a very friendly dog.”
“Does Max like to sneak into houses?” Amy asks.
“Max likes to sneak into everything,” Grandma says, laughing. “Our back door was open this morning. I forgot to close it after getting the mail.”
Amy and Grandma walk over to the Hendersons’ yard. Max sits by his doghouse, wagging his tail happily. Next to him, on the grass, are twelve cookie wrappers.
“Case closed!” Amy says, laughing. “Max ate all twelve cookies!”
Mrs. Henderson comes outside, looking embarrassed. “I’m so sorry,” she says. “Max must have gotten into your kitchen. I’ll bring cookies over tomorrow to make up for it.”
“It’s okay,” Grandma says, smiling at Max. “He’s a good dog. He just has a sweet tooth.”
Amy pets Max’s head gently. “Next time, ask before you take cookies,” she tells him.
Max just wags his tail and licks her hand.
That evening, Grandma makes a brand new batch of cookies. This time, she puts them in a container with a lid, high up on a shelf.
“Just in case Max comes back,” she says, winking at Amy.
Amy takes the first cookie and smiles. “Best mystery ever,” she says. “And the best cookies too.”
The End
Key Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Crumb | a very small piece of food, like bread or a cookie. | “There were crumbs all over the table.” |
| Trail | a path or line of marks left by someone or something. | “We followed the trail of footprints in the snow.” |
| Sneak | to move quietly and secretly. | “The cat likes to sneak into the garden.” |
| Wag | to move something, like a tail, quickly from side to side. | “The dog’s tail began to wag happily.” |
| Embarrassed | feeling shy or uncomfortable because of a mistake. | “She felt embarrassed when she spilled her drink.” |
Quick Check
- What does Amy find missing from the kitchen counter?
- What clue does Amy follow to solve the mystery?
- Whose dog is Max, and what did he do?
- What does Grandma do differently with the new batch of cookies?
- Have you ever solved a small mystery at home, like a missing item? What happened?
Enjoyed this little mystery? Continue practicing your reading with The Lost Dog on Willow Street | A1 Story.
