The Great Scavenger Hunt by Annie Bryant Page A

cheese…burger!
    â€œEat an apple and a piece of cheese. We have to figure out this clue first!” Betsy commanded as she pedaled over to Fabiana who was guarding the second clue with new resolve. “Look at that sign for Rock Harbor,” Betsy directed. “Didn’t the clue say something about the harbor’s rocky shore? I vote we go that way.”
    â€œI vote we take a snack break,” Danny piped in again as he popped a cheese chunk in his mouth.
    Riley gave him a thumbs-up and agreed, “I’m with you, dude!”
    â€œHe’s kidding,” Betsy persisted. “They’re both kidding. What do you think, Isabel?”
    Isabel, who wasn’t a big fan of being put on the spot, murmured, “I guess that beach sounds like a good idea.” Plus, it was really hard to resist Betsy’s intimidating attitude.
    Maeve, who loved being put on the spot and was disappointed that Betsy hadn’t consulted her, declared in loud voice, “Well, come on, then! Boggers unite! Fabiana, lead the way! NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER!”
    Maeve loved being a cheerleader. It was definitely in her future to be on the squad when she got to high school.If she could just get Betsy to loosen up a bit and realize Maeve and Isabel were on her side, they might actually stand a chance to win this.
    â€œYeah, Maeve! Let’s go, Boggers!” Riley echoed in a deep singsong voice. As the group took off down the path, he stuck close to Maeve. “I’m really glad Nick switched groups with me,” he confided. “Cranberry Boggers is a much cooler name than Salty Cods! I mean, who would want to be a smelly fish?”
    â€œI totally agree!” Maeve’s heart thumped in her chest at the way Riley’s hair flew back as he pedaled his bike. “I’m glad, um, Nick had the idea to switch groups too. I mean,” she whispered conspiratorially, “we performers need to stick together.” Then she flashed him her A+ movie-star smile. She was very pleased to see Riley’s cheeks flush and his front tire wobble as he turned away.
    Halfway to the beach, Isabel hit the brakes on her bike. Betsy had to swerve to stop herself from flying off the path and into a thorny wild rosebush. “You guys, look!” Isabel said in a hushed voice. “I think that bird over there might be a sandpiper. Isn’t that one of the items on our bonus list?”
    â€œExcellent, Isabel!” Fabiana cheered, but just as the words escaped her lips, the bird skipped off into the bushes.
    â€œOh, shoot,” an embarrassed Fabiana muttered. “Did I do that?”
    â€œDon’t worry about it,” Maeve assured her. “Pipers are all over the Cape, and I’ve seen my brother track ’em a billion times. I’m practically a professional.”
    Betsy groaned. “A professional piper tracker? Is thateven a real thing? Besides, pipers only hang out on the beach , not in the woods…. ”
    But no one was paying any attention to her. Betsy looked horrified as Isabel, Danny, and Maeve turned their bikes down a little dirt path and took off after the little bird with the Speedy Gonzales stick legs.
    Not even Fabiana, the authority figure in the group, felt like barking any sense into the runaway Boggers. Their fearless leader took her Red Sox hat out of her bag, plopped it on her head backward, giggled, and announced, “When in Rome.” Then she zoomed off behind the kids, leaving Betsy stunned on the bike path.
    â€œAm I the only sane one here?” she wondered out loud. When no one answered, Betsy reluctantly pushed her bike into the brush.
    After fifteen minutes of wandering about, one thing was for sure—that silly little sandpiper was long gone—and nobody gave a hoot . Fabiana and Isabel were constructing dandelion crowns, and Maeve, Riley, and Danny were involved in a hard-core game of leapfrog.
    â€œHey, Betsy, we need