BSC040 - Claudia and the Middle School Mystery - Martin, Ann M.

Chapter 1.

"So, if Gertrude used two thirds of a cup of chocolate to make eight cookies, how much chocolate would be in each cookie?" Janine asked.

I frowned. I bit my lip. I tapped my pencil against my front teeth. "Each cookie would have ..." Right then I hated Gertrude, whoever she was. Why did she have to make cookies, anyway? And why did she have to measure out the chocolate? I'd just dump in as much as I had. I love chocolate. And I hate the name Gertrude.

Janine nodded at me encouragingly, smiling as if I'd already come up with the right answer.

I looked up at the picture hanging over my desk. Mimi, as a twelve-year-old, gave me her gentle smile. I looked down at the problem one more time. "It's got to be one twelfth." I said. "One twelfth of a cup in each?" Janine was grinning at me.

"You've got it, Claud!" she said. "I really think you understand it this time." She smiled some more. "Excellent!" So now you know how much chocolate Gertrude put in each cookie, and so do I, I guess - at least this time. But you don't know who I am, or who Janine might be, or even who Mimi in the picture is.

I'm Claudia Kishi. I'm thirteen and I'm in eighth grade at Stoneybrook Middle School. I have long black hair and almond-shaped eyes (I'm Japanese-American) and in case you haven't already figured it out, I'm not what you would call a scholar. In fact, the test I was studying for was in remedial math. That's right. I can't seem to keep up with the rest of my class, at least in certain subjects. I try hard, but maybe not hard enough. The fact is, I'm just not too crazy about things like math and science.

What am I crazy about? I'll tell you. First on my list is art. I love drawing, painting, sculpting, making things out of papier-mâché, making collages, making jewelry . . . well, you get the picture.

Next, I love my family. We're pretty close.