Candy is Dandy Page 4

  “No, Mr. Zuckerman,” she announced. “You don’t need to help me. I just found what I was looking for.”

  Nancy lifted the last, heavy encyclopedia volume: Wax Lips-Zoobers. Then she showed it to the group. They all gasped. Stuck to the back cover of the big book was Mr. Zuckerman’s secret candy formula.

  “My recipe!” Mr. Zuckerman cried. He dashed over to Nancy and took the book from her. Then he carefully peeled the recipe from the cover.

  “Why, it was stuck to the book with a layer of this pesky purple goo!” he exclaimed. “Nancy, I can’t thank you enough.” Mr. Zuckerman was so happy, he gave the scrap of paper a big, loud kiss.

  “That must taste good,” Bess said.

  “But, Nancy,” Mr. Zuckerman said, “how ever did you know where to find my recipe?”

  Nancy pointed to Mr. Zuckerman’s wrist. “The lollipop that was stuck to your wrist,” she said. “I realized if everything was sticking to you, then a piece of paper could stick to you, too.”

  “True,” Mr. Zuckerman said. “But how did the recipe get stuck to the encyclopedia?”

  “Remember?” Nancy said. “After you showed us your recipe, you put it back in your coat pocket. Or so you thought. But it must have stuck to your hand. Then, when you put the encyclopedia away, the recipe got stuck to the cover.”

  “Clever girl,” Mr. Zuckerman said. “How can I ever thank you?”

  “How about with candy?” Bess piped up.

  “Bess!” Mrs. Marvin scolded. “That’s not polite.”

  “Oh, I’m never offended by children who like candy,” Mr. Zuckerman said with a smile. “Why don’t we take a walk through the factory and pick up some goodies for your ride home.”

  Then Mr. Zuckerman turned to Nancy. “But a mere goodie bag cannot express my gratitude.” Suddenly his face lit up. “I know what I’ll do. I’ll name my new candy after you! We’ll call it Nancy’s Mapley Nougat.”

  “Really? How sweet,” Nancy said with a laugh. “Thanks, Mr. Zuckerman.”

  After Mr. Zuckerman loaded the girls down with Sticky Jelly Bugs, Wacky Fruitz, and Teensy-Tiny Nut ’n’ Fluffs, they tumbled into the backseat of Mrs. Marvin’s minivan.

  Mr. Zuckerman waved goodbye, calling, “I’m going straight to my office to make another copy of this recipe. I won’t lose it again. Thank you, Nancy Drew!”

  “Wow!” Bess cried, biting into a little marshmallow sandwich. “I knew you could do it, Nancy.”

  “Yeah,” George agreed as she licked a grape-flavored Wacky Fruitz. “That’s what I call sweet success.”

  Nancy pulled out her blue notebook. As Mrs. Marvin drove, she turned to the missing recipe page. Then she wrote:

  I found the missing recipe. But here’s the next mystery—what is that secret candy that Mr. Zuckerman is working on?

  Part of me can’t wait to find out. But searching for Mr. Zuckerman’s recipe for so long taught me something—good things are worth waiting for. And if I know Zuckerman’s Zonked Candy, Nancy’s Mapley Nougat is going to be a very good thing, no matter how long I have to wait to taste it!

  Case closed.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  First Aladdin Paperbacks edition February 2002

  First Minstrel Books edition October 2000

  Copyright © 2000 by Simon & Schuster, Inc

  ALADDIN PAPERBACKS

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster

  Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas

  New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  The text of this book was set in Excelsior.

  NANCY DREW, THE NANCY DREW NOTEBOOKS, and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-671-04269-1

  ISBN-10: 0-671-04269-6

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4391-1260-1 (eBook)