by Harper Paris
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 The City of Light
Chapter 2 Strolling Through Paris
Chapter 3 A New Mystery
Chapter 4 Stolen!
Chapter 5 The Thief Leaves a Clue
Chapter 6 A Speedy Getaway
Chapter 7 The Secret Crepe Shop
Chapter 8 Heroes
Chapter 9 The Eiffel Tower!
Glossary
About Harper Paris and Marcos Calo
Chapter 1
The City of Light
Ella Briar gazed out the airplane window. Down below, miles of glittering lights twinkled against the evening sky. “Look, Ethan!” she said to her twin brother.
“That must be Paris,” Ethan replied. “It’s awesome!”
“I think that’s the Eiffel Tower,” Ella said, pointing.
“Did you know that the Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris?” their dad, Andrew, called out from across the aisle. “It was built in 1889 for the world’s fair.”
“I see a river!” Ethan announced.
“That is probably the Seine,” Mr. Briar guessed. “It divides Paris into two parts: the Right Bank and the Left Bank.”
“We are staying in a lovely old neighborhood on the Right Bank,” their mom, Josephine, said as she smoothed on lipstick. “There are a lot of fun shops there! And we’ll be close to a famous museum called the Louvre.”
Fun shops? A famous museum? The twins couldn’t wait!
A short while later, their plane landed at the airport. The Briars took a taxi to the apartment they were renting. The building had no elevator, so they had to carry their suitcases up five flights of marble stairs. They were out of breath by the time they got to the top.
The climb was worth it, though. The apartment was enormous, with an elegant balcony that overlooked red rooftops and bustling cafés. Brightly lit boats cruised along the river. In the distance, the Eiffel Tower shimmered like a gold jewel.
Ella remembered from her dad’s guidebook that Paris was often called the City of Light. Now she knew why!
Ethan ran straight to the biggest bedroom. “Dibs!” he shouted.
“Hey, not fair!” Ella protested.
“How about your father and I take this room?” Mrs. Briar suggested. “Ethan, there’s a green room down the hall with soccer posters. And, Ella, the purple room has lots of books in English.”
Ella loved books, and purple was her favorite color! She raced down the hallway with her suitcase and found her room. It had a canopy bed with a lavender bedspread. Black-and-white photographs of Paris covered the walls.
Next to the bed was a wooden bookshelf. Ella spotted a couple of books she’d already read, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh and Shiloh. Tucked between them was a dusty old volume called Les Secrets de Paris.
Curious, she picked it up and flipped to the first page. It was all in French. However, someone had scribbled something in pencil. It was in English:
Paris is full of secret places that you will not find in any guidebook.
Ella shivered with excitement. What did that mean? Would she and Ethan stumble upon any of these secret places while they were in Paris?
Chapter 2
Strolling Through Paris
The next morning, the Briars headed out for a walk through the cobblestoned streets of Paris. First, they stopped at a neighborhood café for a quick breakfast. The twins loved the fresh orange juice and croissants, which were flaky rolls shaped like half-moons.
After breakfast, they went to several shops to buy supplies for their picnic lunch. They were going to have lunch at a park called the Luxembourg Gardens. They went to a boulangerie for bread. They went to a fromagerie for cheese. And finally, they went to a pâtisserie for pastries. Mrs. Briar put everything in a picnic basket she had found in their apartment.
“I’ve already planned a nice, winding route for us,” Mr. Briar announced, holding up a crinkled map of Paris. “Oops. That’s upside down. Here we go. Follow me, kids!”
Mr. Briar led the way. Mrs. Briar lagged behind as she took photos of the scenery and spoke into a tiny tape recorder.
Mrs. Briar was a travel writer. She and the family traveled to different foreign cities so she could write about it for her newspaper column, Journeys with Jo! While she worked, Mr. Briar took care of the twins and homeschooled them.
In the beginning, Ethan and Ella had not been happy about leaving Brookeston. They missed their house, their friends, their school, their second-grade teacher, Mrs. Applebaum, and most of all, their Grandpa Harry.
Still, their first stop—Venice, Italy—had been a lot of fun. The twins had even solved a mystery when a gondola went missing. And they really liked what they’d seen of Paris so far.
They crossed a short bridge and saw an enormous stone church.
“Kids, this is the Notre-Dame Cathedral,” Mr. Briar explained. “See those statues up there that look like goblins with wings? They’re called gargoyles, and they were put there as protection against evil.” Mr. Briar was a history professor and knew lots of interesting facts.
Near Notre-Dame was a street full of tiny shops. A sweet, buttery smell was coming from one of them. “What’s that yummy smell?” Ethan wondered out loud.
“That’s a crêperie, or crepe shop. Crepes are thin pancakes with delicious ingredients rolled up inside, like chocolate and strawberries or ham and cheese,” Mr. Briar replied.
“Can we get one? Can we get one?” Ella begged.
Mr. Briar laughed. “Maybe later. We don’t want to spoil our appetites before our picnic!”
Soon, the family crossed back over the Seine on another, longer bridge. After a few blocks, they found themselves near a building that seemed to go on forever.
“Oh! This is the famous museum I mentioned last night—the Louvre!” Mrs. Briar said, snapping a picture. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“It used to be a fortress before it was a museum,” Mr. Briar added.
Ethan could totally imagine soldiers inside, watching and waiting for enemy ships on the river. “Can we go in and look around?” he asked.
“They’re closed on Tuesdays. But I promise we’ll come back tomorrow,” Mr. Briar replied. “Hey! Postcards!”
He and Mrs. Briar walked over to a street stand that sold souvenirs. Ella went over to the stand next to it, which sold jewelry. Ethan joined his sister just as a line of police cars sped by, their sirens blaring noisily. The sirens in Paris sounded different from the sirens back home!
Ella picked up a sparkly bracelet. “This is really pretty,” she said to the woman behind the stand. “Did you make it?”
The woman didn’t reply at first. Glancing past the twins, she twirled her long red hair nervously. She wore a ring that looked like a coiled silver snake.
“No, mademoiselle. I did not make it. Please give it back!” She grabbed the bracelet out of Ella’s hands.
“Ella! Ethan! We’d better move on if we want to get to the Luxembourg Gardens by lunchtime,” Mr. Briar interrupted. He held a bag of postcards in his hand.
As they walked away, the woman reached for her cell phone and dialed a number. She said something in French. Her voice sounded urgent.
“Well she’s not very friendly,” Ella whispered to Ethan.
Ethan nodded. “I know! I hope she’s not here tomorrow when we come back,” he murmured.
Chapter 3
A New Mystery
Back at their apartment, the twins decided to check their e-mail before their homeschooling lesson.
Four messages popped up on the laptop screen. The first two were from Hannah, Ella’s best friend from back home. The third was from Ethan’
s best friend, Theo.
The last message was a note from Grandpa Harry. How exciting!
Ella clicked on his e-mail. Ethan leaned over her shoulder as they read it together:
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Sweets for my sweets
Hello, my dears. Bienvenue a Paris! (That means “Welcome to Paris!”)
I hope you are enjoying the City of Light! Speaking of light, the Eiffel Tower has a special light show every night. Make sure you catch it. It is magical.
Did you know that I asked your Grandma Lucy to marry me in Paris? I was studying at the university to be an archaeologist. I asked her while we were having crepes at a very special crêperie owned by my friends on Rue de Fleur. (“Rue” means “street” and “Fleur” means “flower.”)
Perhaps you will get a chance to go to this crepe shop. But a warning: Its name and exact address are a secret. Also, you must give a password at the door. It is “faucon.”
Good luck, my dears! When you find the crêperie, please tell Jean and Jacqueline that their old friend Harry Robinson says bonjour! (That means “hello.”)
Love,
Grandpa Harry
“A secret crepe shop?!” Ella exclaimed. “We have to find it!”
“Yeah, but how? We don’t know what it’s called—or where it is,” Ethan pointed out.
“We don’t know yet.” Ella reached for her bag. She pulled out her notebook, which was purple with a shiny gold spine.
“What are you doing?” Ethan asked.
“Writing down our clues, of course,” Ella replied, rolling her eyes.
Grandpa Harry had given Ella the notebook before the Briars left on their big trip. He’d told her that she might use it for solving mysteries. He had also given Ethan a going-away present—a gold coin with a picture of a hawk on it.
Ella opened her notebook to a clean page and wrote:
Rue de Fleur
Password: Faucon
Then an idea came to her. “Follow me!” she told her brother.
Ella closed the laptop and ran down the hall to her room, clutching her notebook. Ethan ran after her. Once there, she got Les Secrets de Paris from her bookshelf. She found the page with the handwriting on it and then showed it to Ethan.
“ ‘Paris is full of secret places that you will not find in any guidebook,’ ” Ethan read out loud. “What does that mean?”
“I’m not sure. But maybe Grandpa Harry’s secret crepe shop is in this book!” Ella suggested.
The twins hunched over the old book and went through it page by page. But it was all in French, and they couldn’t understand it.
At the end of the book was a map of the city. Ethan scanned it quickly. “Rue de Flandre—was that the street he mentioned?” he asked Ella.
Ella glanced at her notebook. “No. It was Rue de Fleur. F-L-E-U-R.”
The twins continued scanning the map. After a moment, Ethan found the street—Rue de Fleur!
“Here it is!” he practically shouted.
“It’s near some big building called the Musée du Louvre,” Ella noted. “That must be French for the Louvre Museum—”
“Where we’re going tomorrow,” Ethan said eagerly. “We can find the secret crepe shop then!”
Chapter 4
Stolen!
The next morning Mr. Briar and the twins returned to the Louvre.
“The secret crepe shop must be somewhere near here,” Ethan whispered to Ella as he looked around. “Now we just need to get away from Dad so we can find it.”
Ella frowned suspiciously. “Get away from Dad? How are we going to do that?”
“We’ll find a way,” Ethan said with a sly smile.
The Briars entered the museum. There were so many things to look at! Ella’s favorite was the marble statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Ethan loved the remains of the fortress that used to be there. It was almost like going back in time to the Middle Ages!
After the fortress, they went to a crowded room that was filled with people. In the middle of the room was small portrait of a woman with long brown hair. There were mountains in the background.
“This is probably the most famous painting in this museum. It’s called the Mona Lisa,” Mr. Briar explained. “Do you know what’s cool? No matter where you’re standing, she always seems to be looking at you.”
“No way!” Ethan said, surprised.
Curious, he walked ten steps to the left. The woman in the painting was still staring at him. He took ten more steps. She was still staring at him.
“Dad’s right. You try it!” Ethan told Ella.
Ella repeated Ethan’s steps. “That’s spooky!” she said after a moment. “Is the painting haunted?”
Mr. Briar chuckled. “I don’t think so. Although there is a mystery surrounding the painting. Some experts think the Mona Lisa isn’t who she appears to be, and—”
His words were drowned out by a loud alarm. A voice rang out over the speakers: “The museum is now closed. Please exit the museum.”
Ethan glanced around. Everyone in the room was heading toward the doors. “What’s going on?” he asked his dad.
“I’m not sure. It’s probably just an electrical problem or something,” Mr. Briar replied with a shrug. “Not to fear! I have more fun things planned for us after this!”
The twins followed their dad into the jam-packed hallway. As they neared the staircase, they overheard two women speaking in English.
“I just asked one of the museum guards. He said that an incredibly valuable painting has been stolen!” one of the women said.
Chapter 5
The Thief Leaves a Clue
“Ella? Did you hear what that woman said?” Ethan whispered.
Ella nodded. “Yes, a painting was stolen. That’s awful!”
“I wonder if the thief is still here,” Ethan said.
They glanced at their dad to see if he had heard, too. But he was busy reading his guidebook.
The three of them exited the museum. People had spilled out into the courtyard. A juggler entertained a crowd in front of one of the fountains.
Mr. Briar pulled his map out of his messenger bag. “Kids, I’m going to ask someone for directions to the Arc de Triomphe,” he called out. “It’s a monument that was built in honor of French soldiers. We can spend the rest of the morning there.” He added, “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
In the courtyard, a police officer was talking to a museum guard. Ethan walked over to them.
“Ethan! What are you doing?” Ella called out.
“I want to find out about the stolen painting,” Ethan replied. “Come on!”
Ella sighed and trailed after her brother. When they got within earshot, Ethan stopped and pretended to tie his shoes. Ella pretended to get something out of her bag.
But the police officers and the guard were speaking in French. “It’s no use. Let’s go,” Ethan said, turning away.
Ella started to turn, too—then did a double take. The guard was showing the police officers a silver ring.
It was shaped like a coiled-up snake.
Ella frowned. The ring looked familiar. Where had she seen it before?
“The guard is telling the police officers that the thief left that ring behind,” Ella overheard someone say.
“Kids, there you are!”
Mr. Briar rushed up. “You’ll never believe it. I ran into my old friend Leo from college. He wants to have coffee at that café over there. Is that okay with you? We can go to the Arc de Triomphe afterward.”
“Um, sure,” Ella replied.
“No!” Ethan blurted out at the same time. “Ella and I really want to watch that juggler. Please?”
Ella stared at her brother. What was he up to now?
Mr. Briar pushed his glasses up on his nose and checked out the juggler. “Hmm. He is very good! All right. I won’t be long. Stay right here, and don’t wander off.”
> “We won’t!” Ethan promised.
As soon as Mr. Briar was gone, Ethan grabbed Ella’s arm. “This is our chance to find Grandpa Harry’s secret crepe shop!” he told her.
Ella thought for a moment. “Okay,” she said. “But first, there’s something else I want to do. Can we go back to the jewelry stand from yesterday?”
“To look at more bracelets? No way!” Ethan complained.
Ella shook her head. “Not bracelets! I think I found a clue.”
Ethan’s hazel eyes widened. “What kind of clue?”
“The thief left a silver ring shaped like a snake,” Ella explained. “The woman at the jewelry stand was wearing a ring like that. Remember? Maybe she’s connected to the missing painting somehow!”
Chapter 6
A Speedy Getaway
A few minutes later, the twins found the row of street vendors from the day before. Tourists gathered around the stands, shopping for postcards and souvenirs.
Ethan and Ella spotted the red-haired woman right away. “There she is!” Ethan said excitedly.
The woman was talking on her cell phone and putting all her jewelry into a black briefcase, as though she was closing up for the day. The twins moved closer, pretending to look at miniature Eiffel Towers at the next stand.
The woman spoke in French, so it was impossible to understand her. But at one point, she said something that sounded like: “Rue de Fleur.”
“Did she just say ‘Rue de Fleur’?” Ethan asked Ella. “Isn’t that . . . ?”
Ella pulled her purple notebook out of her backpack and flipped through it quickly. “Yes! That’s the very same street Grandpa Harry’s secret crepe shop is on!”