Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Best Day Ever
Chapter 2: Guess What?
Chapter 3: The Search for Greenie
Chapter 4: No Peace
Chapter 5: Wild Goose Chase
Chapter 6: Calm on the Outside
Chapter 7: Diorama Disaster
Chapter 8: Worst Slumber Party Ever
Chapter 9: Unusual Suspect
Chapter 10: Mission Complete
About the Author
About the Illustrator
Glossary
Let's Talk!
Let's Write!
Make Your Own Diorama
Explore More
Copyright
Back Cover
Hey, there!
I’m Azaleah!
I’m eight years old and in the third grade. My life is amazing. I live in Washington, D.C., with my family: Mama, Daddy, Nia, and Tiana. Washington, D.C., is our nation’s capital and the coolest place to grow up.
Mama has her very own restaurant here called Avec Amour. That means “with love” in French. She named it that because she adds love to everything she does.
My daddy is a lawyer. He sues bad guys for a living. The bad guys are big businesses that do things that hurt other people. But my daddy makes them pay. He makes sure they’re held responsible.
Tiana is my baby sister. She’s four years old and pretty cute—most of the time. I like her a lot, even though she comes in my room too much. I also have an older sister named Nia. She’s in middle school and is always in her room. Always.
Mama’s sister—my Auntie Sam—takes care of us when Mama and Daddy are busy. I love Auntie Sam. She’s never too tired to play and she likes to do art. She also likes adventures—my favorite!
Aside from my family, there are three main things you should know about me.
I’m curious … not nosy. (Despite what Nia says.)
I’m good at solving mysteries—very good.
I live in the White House!
OK … not the real White House. (The president of the United States lives there.) But my house is big and white, plus it has a great big living room and a nice backyard. It’s just as good as the real White House, if you ask me!
It’s hard to believe this amazing life all belongs to me, Azaleah Lane!
CHAPTER 1
THE BEST DAY EVER
In front of me, a giant, reddish-orange tiger paced back and forth next to a little river. Its mouth was open, and its tongue stuck out. I could see its big, sharp teeth, but I wasn’t scared.
Somebody else was, though. Behind me, one of my classmates said, “Tigers are scary.”
“Some people are afraid of tigers, but if you respect them and follow the zoo rules, they won’t hurt you,” the tour guide at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo explained. “This is Nikita, our six-year-old Amur tiger.”
“Why is she all alone?” I asked.
“We want her to get used to her new habitat,” the zookeeper answered. “She will get to meet her neighbor soon.”
I glanced at the exhibit next door. Another tiger lived there. It kept swimming up to a little window to see Nikita.
“I didn’t know tigers could swim,” I said.
“Most big cats can,” the zookeeper replied. “Lions, cheetahs, and leopards can all swim, but they tend to avoid water. They’re better at hunting on land. Tigers usually live in jungles with lots of wide rivers, so they’re good at swimming. The only other big cat that swims well is the jaguar.”
I hadn’t known that, either. There was a lot to learn at the zoo.
“Who’s ready to see the giant pandas?” our guide asked.
I waved goodbye to Nikita before I walked away. I wanted to race down the path ahead of the rest of my third-grade class, but I knew what would happen if I did: a time-out. Our teacher, Ms. Johnson, had already warned us about staying together before we left school.
“Our giant pandas are quite famous,” the tour guide continued. “Maybe you’ve seen them on our webcam.”
I nodded. Our class had been been watching the panda cam for weeks to get ready for our field trip. The pandas were always eating and taking naps.
Finally the tour guide said, “Let’s head over to the panda house.”
I fast-walked to the very front of the group, so I was right next to our leader. I wanted to be the first one there.
“Azaleah, wait up!” my best friend, Rose, called after me.
I did not wait. I’d been dying to see the pandas all morning. Rose and I had talked about pandas the whole four blocks on our walk from our elementary school to the zoo. Now we were finally going to see them in person.
At the giant panda exhibit, a zookeeper was waiting for us.
“Welcome to the panda house,” she said. “Here at the National Zoo, one of our goals is conservation. That means making sure all species of animals survive. Pandas are vulnerable. They could become endangered if we don’t help them.”
I already knew that. We had learned all about endangered animals in class. It was part of our lesson on different habitats and the animals that lived in them.
Our tour guide had also mentioned it earlier. She’d said that tigers were “critically endangered.” The zoo was working very hard to save them.
“Pandas in zoos can live to be more than thirty years old,” the zookeeper continued. “They spend up to sixteen hours a day eating. When they’re not eating, they’re sleeping.”
In the exhibit, a panda stared at us and took a bite of bamboo. I liked the way the panda just sat there while it ate. It reminded me of how my sisters and I sat on the floor and ate licorice when we watched movies at home.
The zookeeper said, “Pandas sometimes make barking noises to communicate. Who can tell me the natural habitat of a giant panda?”
I raised my hand, and the zookeeper pointed at me.
“Giant pandas live in the mountains in China,” I announced. “They live in forests with lots of moisture and plenty of bamboo.”
The zookeeper gave me a thumbs-up. “That’s right,” she said.
After a few more minutes, Ms. Johnson smiled at the zookeeper. “Thank you for speaking with us,” she said.
One of the pandas climbed down from a tree and started rolling around on the grass. The class giggled.
Ms. Johnson turned to face us. “We’ve learned a lot about natural habitats today,” she said. “Now I’m going to give you a chance to earn extra credit. All you have to do is build a diorama of an animal habitat we saw today.”
I grinned. I loved art, and I really loved a challenge. I definitely wanted to make a diorama of an animal habitat.
Ms. Johnson kept talking. “If you bring your diorama to school on Monday,” she continued, “you will earn extra science points. You will also get to display your work in the STEM Lab.”
This was the best day ever. Our principal, Ms. Li, always looked at the displays in the STEM Lab. Sometimes she even gave congratulations and recognitions during the morning announcements if something impressed her.
I could already imagine her voice: I’d like to recognize and congratulate Azaleah Lane for her fantastic diorama.
Before we left the zoo, Ms. Johnson let us stop at the gift shop. I only had enough money for one postcard. I could look at the panda cam any time, so I decided to get one of Nikita.
I spent the
whole walk back to school chatting with Rose and trying to choose an animal for my diorama. Whatever I brought on Monday was going to impress Ms. Li. I would make sure of it.
CHAPTER 2
GUESS WHAT?
After school I ran straight to Mama’s car. I couldn’t wait to tell her about our field trip. And now I had the chance to earn extra credit too. That was almost as exciting as the zoo.
My little sister, Tiana, was in her car seat in the back. When I opened the door she yelled, “Hi, Azaleah! Guess what? Auntie Sam took me and Kevin to the park today!”
I smiled at Tiana. Auntie Sam was my mom’s younger sister. She babysat us all the time. We always did fun things with her.
“I got to go to the zoo today,” I told Tiana. “It was awesome!”
Mama laughed. “Sounds like everyone had a good day.”
“That’s not all!” I shouted. “I get to make a diorama this weekend for extra credit.”
“Azaleah, strap in so we can go pick up Nia from school,” said Mama. “I need to get to work to prep for the dinner rush.”
I fastened my seat belt. Mama always worked on Friday nights. Her restaurant, Avec Amour, was jam-packed on weekends. On Fridays, she had different musicians perform. People loved Mama’s cooking, and Avec Amour had won a “Favorite Local Restaurant” prize. Even famous people ate there!
Usually Friday nights were Daddy nights. He would meet us at the restaurant after school and take us home so that Mama could work. Sometimes we got to eat at the restaurant and listen to the music for a little while before we left.
Tonight wasn’t going to be a Daddy night, though. He’d told us at breakfast that he had to work late tonight too.
Daddy is a very good lawyer. Everybody says so. He was working on a big case right now, helping some old people sue a big medicine company. The medicine had made people sicker instead of better. My dad was trying to make the company pay the sick people money.
“Mama, which do you like better? Pandas or tigers?” I asked.
Before Mama could answer, Tiana chimed in. “Today me and Kevin dug a great big hole in the dirt,” she said.
“Kevin and I,” I corrected. “And stop interrupting!”
“I like them both,” said Mama. I was glad she’d ignored Tiana.
A few minutes later, we pulled up to my big sister Nia’s middle school. Nia was already outside waiting. She was smiling and waving her arms all around while she talked to some other girls. As soon as she saw us, she ran to the car.
Nia jumped into the front seat and threw her backpack on the floor. Her eyes looked like they were about to pop right out of her head.
“Guess what?” she said. “I got the lead! I get to be Dorothy in The Wiz!” She held up a plastic bag. “Mr. Guidi already gave me my costume!”
“Oh, Nia!” cried Mama. She leaned across the seat and gave Nia a big hug.
“Bravo!” I clapped for Nia. Tiana quickly copied me.
I was proud of Nia. She had been in the mirror for two weeks getting ready to audition for the musical. I knew she wanted to be Dorothy more than anything. Nia worked hard. She deserved to be the main character.
“Nia, today I slid backwards down the slide,” said Tiana.
I asked, “Should I make a diorama about the pandas or something else?”
“I’m definitely going to be famous one day,” said Nia.
Mama shook her head. “So much excitement!”
When we got to Avec Amour, Auntie Sam was already there waiting for us. “How are my favorite nieces?” she asked.
Nia laughed. Auntie Sam always said that when she picked us up.
“We’re your only nieces,” Nia pointed out, like always.
“Thanks for picking them up, Sam,” said Mama. She kissed all four of us goodbye and rushed back to the kitchen.
We had to walk five blocks just to get to Auntie Sam’s car. Avec Amour was on a busy street with lots of shops and restaurants but not a lot of parking spaces.
“There’s too much traffic in this part of town,” said Auntie Sam. She always said that too.
We finally got to her car, but the drive home took forever. We had to stop at a million stoplights to let a bunch of people cross the street. Finally we got closer to our nice, quiet neighborhood.
Auntie Sam sighed. “I love your street.” She always said that too.
Our neighborhood was all houses, so the only people who drove on it were the ones who lived there. The houses weren’t all squished together like in Auntie Sam’s neighborhood. They were big. Some of them were enormous. Ours was huge and white, so I called it the White House.
It wasn’t the real White House, of course. We had driven past that lots of times. I thought our house was even better.
Auntie Sam parked in the driveway. As we walked into the house, she asked, “What do you guys want to do tonight?”
“Play!” yelled Tiana.
“Diorama!” I yelled. I ran to my room to get started.
My room was the best one in the house. Auntie Sam had painted it light green with one lavender wall. Daddy had filled my bookshelf with science books, gems, and a microscope. Mama had created an art corner next to my bed complete with glitter and paint and clay and glue.
And my room always smelled good, because Mama made me sachets. They were little pouches filled with things like cinnamon or lavender or rosemary.
I heard Nia running to her room on the third floor. I knew she was about to rehearse in the mirror, as usual. Nia could dance and sing and act. Daddy called her a triple threat.
Maybe she really will be famous one day, I thought.
I reached under my bed to pull out a shoebox. I needed it for my diorama.
“Azaleah?”
I recognized Tiana’s voice without looking. Tiana was an interrupter. “Yes?” I said.
Tiana stood in front of me and frowned. “Did you take Greenie?” she asked.
“No,” I said. Greenie was Tiana’s favorite stuffed animal. She took him practically everywhere.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t take Greenie,” I said. I didn’t think anyone would take Greenie. He was a speckled frog with bulging eyes, and he was very dirty.
Tiana’s eyes got so big she looked like Greenie. “Then guess what? Somebody stealed him!”
“Nobody stole him,” I corrected her.
Tiana nodded her head really fast. “Uh-huh,” she said. “Somebody did! He was here earlier. And now he’s gone!”
CHAPTER 3
THE SEARCH FOR GREENIE
Tears rolled down Tiana’s cheeks. I knew she wasn’t playing around. Greenie really was missing. And that meant one thing—we had a mystery on our hands.
I wanted to start my diorama. I had already decided to make a tiger habitat. Everyone in my class loved the giant pandas, but that meant everyone would probably be making a panda habitat. I wanted mine to be unique.
Plus, Nikita was really interesting. Even though she was a big tiger with sharp teeth and claws, the zookeeper said she was still a little bit scared in her new home.
But I also loved a challenge. Greenie’s disappearance was a mystery. And a mystery was definitely a challenge. I was an excellent mystery solver too. One time I found Mama’s missing keys. Another time I found Daddy’s glasses.
Plus I knew Tiana wouldn’t leave me alone if I didn’t help her.
“OK, think, Tiana,” I said. “When was the last time you had Greenie?”
“I told you, I had him earlier,” she said. “But now he’s gone.”
I knew what that meant. It meant she’d taken him somewhere and forgotten where she left him.
“Maybe he’s in the family room,” I said. “You probably left him in there while you were playing.”
Tiana shook her head. “N
o, I didn’t.”
I went to the family room anyway. I looked behind the sofa, under the pillows, and in the toy box. No Greenie.
“Maybe you left him in the kitchen at snack time,” I suggested.
Tiana didn’t look like she believed me, but she followed me anyway. We searched every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen. We found appliances, seasonings, pots and pans, and food-storage containers. But no Greenie.
Greenie is more lost than I expected, I thought.
I went out the back door and found Auntie Sam sitting in a lounge chair. She loved to sit in our backyard. We had a patio, grass, bushes, and lots of flowers. Auntie Sam didn’t have a yard at her house.
“Auntie Sam?” I said. “Have you seen Greenie?”
Auntie Sam looked up from the home-design magazine she was reading. She was an interior decorator—that meant it was her job to decorate other people’s houses. Her dog, Woofer, looked up at me too.
Auntie Sam thought for a minute. “Tiana had him at the park,” she finally said.
Tiana was standing behind me. “But I brought him home for his nap.”
This mystery was turning out to be what Mama called “time consuming.” That meant it was taking too long. I had a diorama to make!
I looked at Tiana. Her bottom lip was poked out. I knew if I quit searching she would start crying.
Auntie Sam spread her arms, and Tiana climbed onto the chair for a hug.
“He’s here somewhere,” Auntie Sam promised. “Why don’t you pretend you’re hunting for treasure?”
“Let’s go check the bathroom,” I suggested.
“He’s not there,” said Tiana. “He’s not even potty trained.”
I went to the bathroom anyway. “Maybe you took him with you when you went,” I said.
In the bathroom, I looked in the tub and the cabinets. I opened all the drawers. But Tiana was right. Greenie wasn’t there.
We spent more than an hour searching. We checked Mama’s room, Daddy’s office, and the hall closet.
The Amazing Life of Azaleah Lane Page 1