"And what are you going to do now, my Claudia?" asked Mimi.

"Get back to The Phantom of Pine Hill," I replied, slapping my English text closed. Mimi knows about my Nancy Drew books, but no one else in the family does. Mom and Dad would tell me to read something more grown-up, and Janine would tell me to read something more worthwhile. (Her idea of a really good book, something to curl up with in front of a fire, is Sources of American Social Tradition, which at this very moment she's devouring as if she were never going to read again.)

"And what is happening in The Phantom of Pine HUP." asked Mimi.

"Ooh, it's really spooky," I began.

"You like to be scared, my Claudia?"

"Well, yes, I guess so. I mean, when it's just a book, it's fun. Look outside, Mimi. Look at the wind blowing the trees, and the lightning flashing. It's the perfect night to read a mystery."

Mimi smiled. "Spooky. ... It is almost Hallo ween," she remarked. "Just a few more weeks."

I nodded. "But I think I'm too old to go trick-or-treating.''

"Well, then, you can dress up and help us hand out the candy. I'm sure that is almost as

much fun as tricks-and-treats."

Mimi knows how much I like to dress up. It's very important to me. I think clothes make a statement about the person inside them. Also, since you have to get dressed every day, why not at least make it fun? Traditional clothes look boring and are boring to put on. So I never wear them. I like bright colors and big patterns and funny touches, such as earrings made from feathers. Maybe this is because I'm an artist. I don't know. Today, for instance, I'm wearing purple pants that stop just below my knees and are held up with suspenders, white tights with clocks on them, a purple-plaid shirt with a matching hat, my high-top sneakers, and lobster earrings. Clothes like these are my trademark.