Ann Martin: Mary Anne And The Zoo Mystery

I clapped my hands together. "That’s terrific news. When did it happen?"

Kristy scanned the article and said, "It seems that our Elephant Walk did a lot to raise money and interest in Babar's plight. A wealthy contributor stepped forward and, with his donation, plus the money we and the Free Babar campaign raised, there was enough to transport Babar to a new home."

"Where is he?" Dawn asked. "Can we go visit him?"

"This says he's going to be at a wildlife preserve in Sarasota, Florida," Kristy replied.

"That’s a little far to ride our bikes," I kidded Dawn. "And I don't think the bus line stops there."

"Sarasota," Claudia mused, finishing off the last of the Oreos in her shoe box. "Warm and sunny. Just- perfect for a little fellow from Africa."

Claud's dock changed from five-twenty-nine to five-thirty and Kristy officially called the meeting to order. But before we could even begin, Jessi suddenly bolted to her feet.

"Hey!" she cried. "I just thought of something. Remember when Matt asked Mojo who freed the emu, and Mojo made the sign for food?"

We all nodded expectantly. "Yes?"

"Well, Mojo might have meant Mr. Chester, since he was the one who always fed the gorillas."

"But Howie was the one who accidentally let the emu out of the cage," I pointed out.

"Oh," Jessi sat down again. "But I still think Mojo knew that Mr. Chester was rotten."

"Like the food," Claudia cracked. "Did you taste that banana cake at the gorilla party? It

tasted like gorilla drool and really old bananas. Ew!"

That made everyone giggle.

Even though none of us won the trip to Aqua World, things weren't so bad after all. The Elephant Walk had been a success. And even though Kristy and Stacey hadn't spoken during the entire walkathon, they hadn't fought, either.

My group didn't win the extra credit but (miracle of miracles) we did get an A-. And so did Logan's group. I think it may have had something to do with the good word Mrs. Wofsey put in for all of us. She was extremely grateful for our help in catching Mr. Chester. To show her gratitude, she gave each of us — Logan, Dawn, Claudia, Howie, Alan, and me — lifetime passes to the Bedford Zoo.

So Logan and I are planning a trip to the zoo next weekend with Alan and Howie. Not!

About the Author

ANN M. MARTIN did a lot of baby-sitting when she was growing up in Princeton, New Jersey. She is a former editor of books for children, and was graduated from Smith College..

Ms. Martin lives in New York Qty with her cats, Mouse and Rosie. She likes ice cream and I Love Lucy; and she hates to cook.

Ann Martin's Apple Paperbacks include Yours Turly, Shirley; Ten Kids, No Pets; With You and Without You; Bummer Summer; and all the other books in the Baby-sitters dub series.