1. 3 puzzles to solve:  What happened?  Who Ate the Cake?  What’s in the Letter?

2. What happened? There is a dead man in the desert with no clothes on. Between the man’s fingers is a matchstick. What happened?

3. Sample One A group of men were traveling in a hot air balloon when they found there was something wrong with it. To avoid a crash, they had to unload as much as possible. They threw out almost everything they took, including their clothes. However, the problem was still too serious. They had to draw straws to see who would have to jump off the balloon. The dead man got the short straw (the matchstick).

4. Who ate the cake?

5. But two facts are against Charles. He said he saw no dessert on the kitchen table when Mother came back. Additionally, the dog unusually stayed close to Charles instead of going to the others for food, which suggested that Charles could spare more food than usual for the dog. Clues Two things are unusual: 1) Debbie hardly talked at all during dinner; 2) the dog stayed close to Charles instead of going to the others to beg for food. Charles’s statement was in conflict with Debbie’s.

6. What’s in the letter?

7. What is suspense?  A feeling of anxiety, excitement or fear that results from being uncertain or curious about an outcome, a decision or something mysterious;  A basic element of most stories;  It usually involves apprehension or fear;  Created by a combination of certainty and uncertainty;  To build suspense, one is to arouse our curiosity, which adds to the fun and excitement of reading.