The Clue in the Recycling Bin by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page A

too.
    â€œWe can ride our bikes,” said Henry.
    â€œIt’s a good thing our bikes all have baskets,” said Jessie. “With four bikes, we can take almost half of what’s here.”
    â€œAnd then we can take more tomorrow,” said Violet.
    â€œI like the name of this center,” said Jessie as they pedaled their bikes through an open gateway. Above their heads was a metal arch with the words “Use It Again Recycling Center.” The entire recycling center was surrounded by a sparkling new chain-link fence.
    The Aldens stopped and looked around. Shiny new recycling bins stood in long rows. Each bin was labeled for what went inside. The biggest bin was labeled “Plastic.” Off by itself was a huge Dumpster labeled “Other Stuff.” Near it was a wooden shed. A young woman lifted an old toaster out of the Other Stuff bin and turned around. As she did so, she saw the children.
    â€œHello,” she said. “Welcome to the new recycling center. I’m Kayla Korty, the manager.”
    The children introduced themselves.
    â€œYou can lean your bikes against a bin,” said Kayla, “and I’ll give you a tour of the place. But first—what do you think of my collection of treasures?”
    The children watched as Kayla put the toaster on a shelf that ran along the outside of the shed. Above the shelf was a handwritten sign: “These May Be Treasures.”
    The Aldens looked at the things Kayla had on the shelf. Jessie noticed a toaster and a pack of notebooks. Benny noticed two piñatas. Violet noticed a wooden checkerboard without checkers. Henry noticed an old chair that had wooden legs and a wooden back. He could see that the seat of the chair had once been made of woven cane, but that the cane had worn out and broken off. Now there was nothing to sit on.
    â€œI look through the Other Stuff bin each morning,” Kayla said. “If anything looks interesting to me, I pull it out and put it here. Feel free to take any of these things home if you want them. There are treasures in recycling,” she said with a smile.
    â€œWow!” said Benny. “Look at that bull piñata! It looks just like the one in Tío’s Tacos, my favorite restaurant.”
    â€œOh Benny,” laughed Jessie. “You love food so much that every restaurant is your favorite.”
    Kayla handed the red piñata to Benny. “Would you like to take it home?” she asked.
    Benny held the piñata. It was very dusty on top, but he thought he could clean it off. “Yes!” he said. “I’ll put it in the sunporch with Mrs. McGregor’s frog.”
    â€œFrog?” asked Kayla. “You mean that big, green metal frog?”
    The children nodded.
    â€œI wish I had never given that frog away,” muttered Kayla.
    â€œWhy not?” asked Jessie.
    â€œOh,” said Kayla, waving her hand in the air, “just because.” She looked at the children. “Benny has a piñata,” she said. “Would anybody else like to take a treasure home?”
    Neither Henry nor Violet were interested in anything, but Jessie looked at the notebooks. “This is a whole pack of notebooks,” she said. “And it’s unopened.”
    Kayla shrugged. “Don’t ask me why anybody would throw it away,” she said. “Would you like it?”
    Jessie said she would. She liked to use notebooks to make lists.
    â€œI’ll keep the piñata and notebooks here in my studio until you’re ready to leave,” Kayla said.
    â€œYour studio?” asked Violet. “Are you an artist?” Violet loved art. Although she was shy, Violet was just as smart as her sister and brothers. All of the Aldens loved puzzles and mysteries.
    â€œCome inside and see,” said Kayla. She led the way into the shed. She put Jessie’s box of notebooks and Benny’s piñata on a table.
    The Aldens looked around. They