This is what my party is going to look like. Oops, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Camille, and this will be my tenth birthday party. There will be streamers, costumes, a stage, and all we need is the cake. Okay, now it’s time to get some sleep.

In the morning, I wake up. I go down to check on the party room. I am in shock. The streamers have fallen, the cake is almost eaten (FYI: that was hard!), and the stage has tons of cracks in it. I am very, very mad. Maybe, that’s it! I will call my friends! I call my friends. Mia says, “I’ll help you look for the intruder!”

The next day Mia comes and she says, “Where do we start?”

“Look at this,” I say. It is a card with black ink that says, “Mona.”

“It’s a clue!”

“How about we go through the neighborhood and see if there is anyone named Mona!” says Mia.

We look through the neighborhood. When we get back home, we think about everyone we found in the neighborhood. Nobody’s name is Mona, so we decide to go to the mall. We start looking for Mona there. We go up to random people and say, “What’s your name?”

When we get to the first Mona, she looks like she is in her late twenties. She has long brown hair and is wearing all black. She is frowning. She looks like she is in a grumpy mood all the time. We ask Mona what job she has. She says, “Detective.” Just then, Mia elbows me.

“Look at the black feather with a bottle of ink Mona is holding,” Mia whispers to me.

“Thanks for the catch,” I whisper back.

I get out a little piece of paper from my pocket and ask Mona, “Here, can you please sign this?”  

“Why?” Mona asks.

“It’s just our business,” I say.

“Why?” Mona asks again.

“I think….hmmmm….ummm…um…umm…we have a club!” I say, sweating.

“What kind of club?” Mona asks.

“Girl scouts!” Mia screams. “Our mission is to gather as many Monas as we can and bring them to Camille’s house.”

“Yes, my house,” I say.

“I still do not want to sign,” says Mona.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Mia whispers to me.

“What are you thinking?” I reply.

“I don’t know if she’s the thief?” Mia whispers.

Both of us start sweating again.

“Just sign it!” Mia screams at Mona.

“I still don’t want to,” Mona says.

“Other people are going to sign it too, we just want you to sign it first,” Mia says. “Last night, did you visit a house?”

“No,” says Mona. She gets up. Her face is bright red. “You children are very, very, very naughty.” She storms away.

***

We go to Mia’s house. I turn Mia’s computer on. I open up a document and type on the top SUSPECTS. I write Mona from the mall. Then I go home.

When I walk in the door I trip over a pair of  scissors on the ground. Writing on the scissors says “Mona Again.” Next to the scissors is one red high heel. I look on the bottom of the shoe and it says “J. Crew”.

The next morning I go to Mia’s and bring the scissors and the red shoe.

***

“Guess what!” I say to Mia.

“What?” says Mia.

“I found these last night!” I show her the scissors and the shoe.

“Another clue! I’m getting really suspicious about this Mona,” says Mia. “But what does the shoe mean?”

“Let’s go to the mall again today and go to J. Crew,” I say.

“Why?” asks Mia.

I show her the shoe and say, “That’s why!”

We go to the mall and find Mona at J. Crew buying some very, very high heels.

Mona tries to stomp away, but Mia gets hold of her hand and says, “Stay!’

Camille shows her the scissors. “Are these yours?”

She says, “Yes,” very, very fast.

Mia whispers to Camille, “Now, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yep!” I say.

“So you’re the person who crashed Camille Clause’s birthday party!” says Mia.

“Okay, let me tell you why. My daughter was not invited to your birthday party,” says Mona.

“So just because your daughter did not get invited you ruined everything!?!” says Mia.

“YEAH!” says Mona.

“I will invite her!” I say.

“MYSTERY SOLVED!” Mia and I say together.

“YAY!” we scream.

“I’m very sorry. I can pay for another place to do a birthday party if you would like,” says Mona. “Maybe we could have it at my house.”

When I get to Mona’s house, it is covered with streamers in my favorite colors, pink and purple and green. Inside, there is a big indoor pool with a bouncy house leading into it. In the next room, there is clay shaping and face painting. In the last room, there is a trampoline and a big pile of presents wrapped in colorful wrapping paper and ribbons. In the kitchen is the cake. It has two little scoops of ice cream and a big candy heart that says, “Happy Birthday Camille.”

“Thank you so, so very much!” I say to Mona. Then, Mona introduces her daughter. Immediately, I recognize her. She was my friend in preschool. Her name is Anya.

“I am sorry I didn’t invite you before when I was writing the invitations,” I say.

A little later, Mona lights the candles and everybody sings “Happy Birthday.”

I blow out the candles.

I hope I always have a birthday party like this!

At the end of the party, as I am about to leave, I say thank you to Mona and ask if I can have every birthday party at her house. She says yes. I feel happy about how the day went and I can’t wait for another mystery.