Vanishing Magician

When the world-famous Magnifico disappears during his final magic show, you must follow the clues backstage to uncover the truth behind the greatest vanishing act ever performed.

Your name is Mira, and you are eleven years old with a notebook full of secrets. Not your own secrets -- other people's. You notice things nobody else does: the way someone fidgets when they are lying, the scratch marks on a lock that has been picked, the faint outline of a hidden pocket in a coat. Your dad says you have 'detective eyes,' and your classmates come to you whenever something goes missing at school.

Tonight, your uncle has given you front-row tickets to the Grand Aurora Theater for the farewell performance of the world-famous magician Magnifico. 'Best seat in the house,' you whisper to yourself as you settle in, notebook already open on your knee. You have been looking forward to this for weeks, hoping to figure out how his tricks work.

The show is spectacular -- doves, fire, floating assistants -- but you are watching Magnifico's hands, not the spectacle. 'Misdirection,' you mutter, catching a hidden wire. 'Classic misdirection.'

Then comes the grand finale. Magnifico steps into a glass box, the lights flash, and he vanishes. The audience erupts in applause. But something is wrong. The box stays empty. The stagehands look confused. The lights come back on and Magnifico is nowhere to be found. A golden envelope flutters from the empty box and lands at the edge of the stage -- right in front of your seat.

'That wasn't part of the show,' you realize, your detective instincts tingling.