Frank and Joe bring their detective skills to the athletic arena in this all-new Hardy Boys Secret Files mystery! It’s time for Field Day at Bayport Elementary and all the kids are excited! Whatever grade wins gets a pizza party, and the person with the highest personal score also gets a special prize. But when the field equipment is sabotaged the day before the events are supposed to start, it looks like Field Day might not happen after all—unless someone can find out who is behind the mess of ruined rackets, tangled jump ropes, and flattened balloons. Can Frank and Joe crack the case and save Field Day? Franklin W. Dixon is the author of the ever-popular Hardy Boys books. 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. Sports Sabotage 1 An Exciting Event Wait, Joe! Don’t forget your carrot sticks,” said the lunch lady. Joe Hardy stopped. “Thanks,” he said, grabbing the carrots and dropping them on his tray. He rushed to catch up in the cafeteria line. He was in such a hurry that he accidentally bumped into the kid in front of him. “Hey, watch it!” the kid said. A teacher named Ms. Prentice was standing nearby. She taught a different third-grade class from the one Joe was in. “Is everything all right, boys?” she asked. “Joe almost made me drop my tray.” The other kid frowned at Joe. “Sorry,” Joe said. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention.” “No harm done.” Ms. Prentice smiled. “Just do your best not to destroy the cafeteria, all right, Joe?” As soon as he was through the line, Joe hurried toward his usual table. His brother, Frank, was already there. So were their friends Phil, Iola, and Callie. They all had brown bag lunches in front of them. Usually Joe brought lunch from home too. His aunt Gertrude, who lived with the Hardy family, made lunches for Joe and Frank every day. But today Joe had been so excited that he’d forgotten to grab his lunch on his way out of the house. “The lunch line was superslow today,” he said as he sat down. “What did I miss?” Frank grinned. “Maybe we shouldn’t tell you. That might teach you not to forget your lunch next time.” “Don’t tease him, Frank,” Iola said. “I don’t blame Joe for being too excited to remember his lunch today. We’re all excited that this Friday is Field Day!” “I can’t wait,” Callie said. “We didn’t have Field Day at my old school.” Callie had moved to Bayport recently. Even though she was new, she and Iola were already best friends. “You’ll love it,” Iola told her. Joe had just noticed that someone was missing. “Hey, where’s Chet?” he asked. Chet Morton was Iola’s brother and one of the Hardy brothers’ best friends. He always sat with them at lunch. “I’m not sure,” Frank said. “He was in class this morning.” “He’d better get here soon or he’ll miss lunch,” Iola said, looking at Phil. “How long until we can go outside and practice?” Phil checked his fancy digital watch. He always had all the latest high-tech gadgets. “Twelve-and-a-half minutes until recess,” he reported. “I think I’ll practice for the sack race today.” Each day that week at recess, students were allowed to practice for all the Field Day events. “I’m going to work on the beanbag toss,” Frank said. “Don’t bother. I’m going to win that one,” Iola bragged. “And our class is going to beat yours for the class champion, too! Right, guys?” “Yeah!” Joe cheered with a grin. He traded high fives with Iola and Callie. The three of them were all in the same class. “No way,” Frank said. “That grand prize is going to be ours!” “Definitely,” Phil agreed. Joe noticed that Callie wasn’t paying attention anymore. She was looking over at the next table. “What are those guys doing?” she wondered. Joe looked too. Three boys were sitting at the table. “Those are Adam’s friends,” Joe said. “So whatever they’re doing, it’s probably something obnoxious.” Adam Ackerman was the biggest bully at Bayport Elementary. He wasn’t at the table right then. But his friends were bullies too. They were throwing popcorn at a boy standing nearby holding a lunch tray. One piece of popcorn went wide and landed in Joe’s blond hair. Joe brushed it away. “Looks like those jerks are harassing the new kid,” he said. “Typical.” “Oh yeah, that guy just moved here,” Iola said. “What’s his name again? I think it’s Tommy.” “No, it’s Timmy.” Callie stood up and waved. “Hey, Timmy! Come sit with us.” Timmy hurried over. He looked nervous but relieved. “Thanks,” he said. “I wasn’t sure where to sit.” Iola introduced Timmy to Frank and Phil. “They’re fourth graders, but they’re still pretty cool,” she told him. “Even if we are going to crush them at Field Day.” “Dream on,” Phil said with a laugh. “Us fourth graders are bigger, stronger, and faster than you third-grade twerps