| The Chocolate Bar Bust | |
 | |
| Author | Miranda Barry and Corinne Jacker |
| Publication date | 1995 |
| Published by | Bantam Books |
| ISBN | 978-0553482874 |
| Publication Order | |
| Preceded by Laugh Rally! |
Followed by School's Out! |
The Chocolate Bar Bust is a title in the Ghostwriter book series, featuring Hector Carrero. Other team members appearing include Jamal, Lenni, Alex, Tina, Gaby and Casey.
Synopsis[]
While selling chocolate bars as a way to get to a swimming camp, Hector solves a water bill scam involving the elderly of Fort Greene.
Summary[]
Hector is with his friends, Jamal, Lenni, Alex, Tina, Gaby and Casey. They tell him that he should get more customers than them for his chocolate bars, which he is selling so that he has a chance to be picked for a scholarship to a swimming camp. He is competing against Keisha Brock, a nine-year-old girl with a nasty streak.
Ghostwriter then sends them a message from an unknown child, who has written that they are in big trouble. After being asked to find something near the kid, Ghostwriter sends the team a diary entry about someone named Conrad being mad at them for losing something. The team is puzzled, but they do not know who the person is. They eventually come up with the idea that Hector can try selling his chocolate bars to the elderly. Hector agrees, and Jamal goes with him to see Mr. Yafa, whom he knew and liked. Unfortunately, the elderly man tells them that he cannot pay for chocolate since he had already paid a very large water bill.
Jamal and Hector talk with Jamal's grandmother. She tells them that Mr. Yafa must have been scammed, since people who rent apartments in New York do not have to pay for water. They visit the man again, who is surprised that he was conned, but gives them a list of elderly on a “Lunch Bunch” list that he can visit. Ghostwriter later sends the team part of the ripped up paid bill, which they gather for more evidence of the scam. The ghost also sends them another diary entry from the unknown child, who they label as “mystery kid”.
Hector later visits Mrs. Astor, a former actress who likes sports and peanut butter chocolate bars, and sells baseball cards. Afterward, he tries to call Lieutenant McQuade, but the officer is out sick and the one who answers the phone does not believe him about the scam. Hector discovers a note from the mystery kid in his backpack, stating who might be the next victim in the scam. Gaby calls a rally for the team to meet in the park the next day.
The team comes to the rally. There, they figure out that the con artist may be using the Lunch Bunch list for picking their victims. Afterword, they see the mystery kid spying on them, but they run away. They later add Conrad, the driver of the Lunch Bunch van; his younger assistant; and also Hector’s rival Keisha as possible scammers.
The team follows Conrad into an apartment building, but do come up with any evidence of him conning anyone. Afterward, Hector futilely tries to sell more chocolate bars. He picks up a fake water bill and puts it in his backpack. After he calls a rally, he is kidnapped by the scammer. The person takes some of his belongings as well as the bill. He is later rescued by the mystery kid.
Hector goes out the building and finds the team looking for him. At the bodega, he tells them that the person seemed to have a lot of different accents, and had chocolate breath. Alex finds another note from the mystery kid, telling them to meet an elderly person the next day at a certain time to catch the thief. Hector is later accused by the police for being the con artist, due to his things that the scammer stole being planted where another elderly person was scammed.
The team talks to Conrad about the scams, after which Hector realizes who the real con artist must be, due to the chocolate breath he had smelled earlier also smelling like peanut butter. They convince Lieutenant McQuade to go to the elderly woman that the mystery kid had told them to go to. The officer catches Mrs. Astor red-handed as she presents another fake water bill. The actress cleverly escapes from them, but is caught by the mystery kid outside.
The kid reveals herself to be Stephanie Zapalowicz. Even more surprising is that she can see Ghostwriter. Ghostwriter thanks her for helping the team. Stephanie is sad that she is only visiting Brooklyn, but Ghostwriter tells her that he will visit her in Maryland. Later both Keisha and Hector receive scholarship for camps, with Hector’s coming from solving the water bill scam.
Notes[]
- This is one of the few books that have someone else seeing Ghostwriter. Another book is Alien Alert.
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