On a Mission for Her Majesty Read online

  Stanley yanked it away from his brother and read it out loud:

  Her Majesty the Queen requests the honour of your presence this morning at the Changing of the Guard, Buckingham Palace.

  The Changing of the Guard, it turned out, was a huge parade in front of Buckingham Palace. One group of the Queen’s Guard marched in, with a band leading the way, and replaced the group that had been guarding the palace since the night before. There was a large crowd watching the ceremony. Stanley was not sure why they had needed an invitation.

  Stanley stood wedged between two visitors with cameras, straining to catch a glimpse of the one guard he knew. “I wonder if we’ll see the guard from the ball,” he mused.

  “How would you ever spot him?” said Mrs. Lambchop. “All the guards look exactly the same!”

  Sure enough, though, Stanley knew him by his mustache. He was one of the guards leaving the palace after night duty. Stanley watched him march toward the new guards and inspect them. Stanley watched him keep time with the drums and bugles, heading away from the palace for some rest. Then, to Stanley’s surprise, the guard winked as he passed the Lambchops! He moved his head just enough that Stanley realized the guard was giving him a message.

  “I think he wants us to follow him!” Stanley told his family.

  Mr. Lambchop frowned. “How could you know that?” he asked.

  “Just watch him!” Stanley insisted. “He’s moving his chin in the direction he wants us to go.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop had their doubts, but they agreed to do it. They followed the guard and his regiment all the way around the palace, where there were fewer observers. The guard was leaving with his group, but he glanced back at Stanley one more time and pointed his chin toward the sky.

  Stanley looked in the direction he was pointing. The sky was bright blue over the city, but there was nothing else there—not even a cloud. When Stanley lowered his gaze, though, he wondered if there was something he was supposed to be seeing on the palace itself. The roof? Then—oh!—he knew just what it was. A balcony! With a figure standing there, waving at the few selected observers below. Maybe this was what the invitation was for?

  “Can I borrow your binoculars?” Stanley asked his mother.

  He put them to his eyes and focused carefully.

  Then he knew for sure why they were here.

  It was a special gathering to see a special someone. A royal someone. The queen!

  She was not well, and she was not young. But she was happy today, because she had Windsor Ring back. It sparkled in the London sun, under the clear blue sky, back where it belonged.

  The Lambchops’ last stop in London was a giant Ferris wheel on the edge of the river. It was called the London Eye! Instead of seats or booths, the London Eye had glass capsules to carry the passengers. The Lambchops were sealed into a capsule with two other families, and the towering wheel carried them high above the city.

  “There’s Big Ben!” Arthur called out.

  “There’s Scotland Yard!” said Mr. Lambchop.

  “And the palace!” Mrs. Lambchop added.

  They had seen a lot of London in a short time. From this high up, the double-decker buses looked like toys, crawling through the busy streets.

  Stanley pressed himself flat against the glass to look. This was the best place to see the whole city, he thought. It was a good place for a visitor. And also a good place for a spy.

  Stanley Lambchop kept his eyes wide open, because he was already looking for his next case.

  What You Need to Know About England and the Queen!

  1. The tower known as Big Ben was originally named the Clock Tower and then renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, which is equal to 60 years. It is the bell within the tower that is actually named Big Ben.

  2. Buckingham Palace has 240 bedrooms for the royals, guests, and staff. There are also 78 bathrooms, 92 offices, and 19 state rooms. There are 775 total rooms!

  3. In 1671, a man named “Colonel” Thomas Blood attempted to steal the Crown Jewels by knocking the Keeper of the Regalia unconscious and taking several items. He was almost successful until the son of the keeper arrived and sounded the alarm.

  4. The British Flag is also called the “Union Jack.”

  5. The British love tea so much that over 60 billion cups are consumed each year—that’s more than 900 cups per person.

  6. Fish and chips is a traditional British meal. It is made by frying battered cod and served with chunky fried potatoes called “chips.”

  7. Queen Elizabeth I had a large wardrobe and was very fashionable. Some estimate that she owned almost 2,000 pairs of gloves.

  8. The London Eye is a giant observation wheel that stretches 443 feet high. It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in Great Britain and has more than 3.5 million people visit every year.

  9. England has a longstanding tradition of monarchy going back over 1,500 years, with 66 rulers over that time period.

  10. The melody of the British national anthem, “God Save the Queen,” is the same as the melody from the United States song “My Country ’Tis of Thee.”

  11. London is one of the most crowded cities in England.

  12. Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning monarch in British history.

  13. The Tower of London also housed a Royal Menagerie that existed for more than 600 years and contained animals like lions, tigers, elephants, and even kangaroos.

  14. The currency of Britain is the United Kingdom Pound, which uses £ as its symbol.

  15. Officers of the London police force are nicknamed “bobbies.”

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  About the Authors and Artist

  JEFF BROWN created the beloved character of Flat Stanley as a bedtime story for his sons. He has written other outrageous books about the Lambchop family, including Flat Stanley, Stanley and the Magic Lamp, Invisible Stanley, Stanley’s Christmas Adventure, Stanley in Space, and Stanley, Flat Again! You can learn more about Jeff Brown and Flat Stanley at www.flatstanleybooks.com.

  KATE EGAN is a children’s book editor and the author of five books, including the Magic Shop series and the picture book Kate and Nate Are Running Late! She lives with her family in Brunswick, Maine.

  MACKY PAMINTUAN is an accomplished illustrator. He lives in the Philippines with his wife, Aymone; their baby girl, Alison; and their pet Westie, Winter.

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  Books by Jeff Brown

  CATCH FLAT STANLEY’S WORLDWIDE ADVENTURES:

  The Mount Rushmore Calamity

  The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery

  The Japanese Ninja Surprise

  The Intrepid Canadian Expedition

  The Amazing Mexican Secret

  The African Safari Discovery

  The Flying Chinese Wonders

  The Australian Boomerang Bonanza

  The US Capital Commotion

  Showdown at the Alamo

  Framed in France

  Escape to California

  The Midnight Ride of Flat Revere

  Credits

  Cover art by Macky Pamintuan

  Cover design by Kathleen Duncan

  Copyright

  FLAT STANLEY’S WORLDWIDE ADVENTURES #14: ON A MISSION FOR HER MAJESTY

  Text copyright © 2017 by the Trust u/w/o Richard Brown f/b/o Duncan Brown

  Illustrations by Macky Pamintuan, copyright © 2017 by HarperCollins Publishers.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written perm
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  Library of Congress Control Number: 2017932857

  ISBN 978-0-06-236607-8 (trade bdg.) — ISBN 978-0-06-236606-1 (pbk.)

  EPub Edition © November 2017 ISBN 9780062366085

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