Marcel and the White Star PDF

 "Marcel and the White Star" is a short, engaging story by Stephen Rabley, part of a series designed for English language learners (often published by Penguin Readers or Pearson English Graded Readers). It features the clever detective mouse, Marcel.

Here's a summary of the plot:

Marcel is a French mouse who lives a comfortable life on an old boat in Paris. He enjoys a cultured life, including books, restaurants, old films, and the opera. He also happens to be a "secret detective."

One evening, after having dinner with friends at the Louvre metro station, Marcel overhears two suspicious men talking. They are discussing an opera singer named Zaza Dupont and her incredibly valuable diamond ring, known as "The White Star." It becomes clear to Marcel that they plan to steal it.

Marcel, being a resourceful and brave mouse, decides to follow the thieves. He jumps onto their car as they speed away from Zaza's house after the robbery. The thieves drive across Paris to a café where they meet a woman, apparently an accomplice, to discuss the stolen diamond.

This is Marcel's moment. While the thieves and their accomplice are distracted, Marcel cleverly manages to get the "White Star" diamond. He puts the ring around his neck and makes a quick escape from the café, with the thieves in hot pursuit.

Marcel races back to Zaza Dupont's house. He manages to get the ring inside her bedroom and leaves it on her bedside table. However, the ring is stuck around his neck! He eventually uses some soap to slip it off.

The next morning, Zaza finds her precious "White Star" ring back in her room and is overjoyed, though bewildered as to how it returned. The newspapers report the mysterious return of the diamond. Marcel, back on his boat, reads the newspaper stories with satisfaction, proud of his secret detective work.

The story highlights Marcel's intelligence, bravery, and dedication to justice, even from a mouse's perspective.