Detective brothers Frank and Joe must figure out who is sabotaging their school talent show in the fourth book in an all-new, interactive Hardy Boys chapter book mystery series. Frank and Joe Hardy are excited to compete in the annual Bayport Elementary Talent Show. Frank is going to work behind the scenes, and Joe wants to show off his sweet juggling skills. But during the first rehearsal, strange things start to happen--their friend's trumpet is filled with bubbles, someone's backing track is switched to croaking frogs, and a strategically placed batch of hair dye gives one of their classmates a bad hair day to remember. Can Frank and Joe figure out how to stop the pranks before the curtain falls early on the show?
-->Franklin W. Dixon is the author of the ever-popular The Hardy Boys (All New) Undercover Brothers and The Hardy Boys Secret Files series.
-->Scott Burroughs started his career at Disney and has illustrated everything from children's books to advertisements and editorials. He is also the published author of several children's books. He lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and sons.
Talent Show Tricks Chapter 1 OPENING ACT Nine-year-old Frank Hardy sat in the school auditorium, going over a big checklist in a binder. "Hey, Frank!" Chet Morton, Frank''s best friend, waved from the stage. "Check this out!" Chet held up three microphones and pretended to juggle them. "Maybe I can be in the talent show too!" Frank laughed. He''d been chosen as a Bayport Backstage Buddy member for the school''s yearly talent show. That meant he was going to help with anything people needed during the show and make sure everything ran smoothly. He even had his own walkie-talkie to help him communicate with everyone around the auditorium. Mrs. Castle, the music and arts teacher who directed the show, said she picked Frank to work with her because he was so organized and reliable. He didn''t want to let her or the students in the show down! The kids in the show, including his eight-year-old brother, Joe, were in the restrooms, changing into their costumes. Rehearsal would start in just a few minutes. It was Monday, and the show was at the end of the week, so they had a lot of work to do! Frank took a few moments to check in with the rest of the BBB crew. First he talked through the walkie-talkie with Eli Ramsay, who was helping to work the lights up in a booth above the stage, and made sure he was ready to go. Then he checked on Chet, who was at the back of the auditorium. Chet was going to help with the sound--making sure each act had the right music and making sure the microphones all worked. "Hey, Chet," Frank called out. His friend was half-hidden behind a huge panel with all sorts of buttons and levers. "You ready to go?" "You bet!" Chet said, flashing Frank a thumbs-up. "You know, this stuff is pretty cool. Maybe I''ll be a sound designer someday. Or a DJ!" Frank grinned. Chet was always picking up new hobbies. As he walked away from the sound booth, he grabbed the walkie-talkie that was clipped to his jeans. "Come in, Speedy," he said. The walkie-talkie crackled, and the voice of his friend Speedy Zerme