The Mystery of the Birthday Basher

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4197-4028-2
eISBN 978-1-64700-035-6
Text copyright © 2020 Amirah Kassem
Book design by Brenda E. Angelilli
Flour Shop branding and illustrations by TPD Design House
Published in 2020 by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved.
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To everyone with a half-birthday!
Together we have the power to make the world a happier place!
Anything is possible if you follow
your heart and keep believing.


“Amirah! Phone call!”
Mama’s voice carried through the open window, all the way to the backyard, where Amirah was watering a small patch of purple violets.
Amirah jumped up and dropped the watering can, which tumbled onto its side and spilled water all over her bare feet. Amirah didn’t mind, though. Now that summer was here, the weather was hot, hot, hot! The cool water felt wonderful as it cascaded over her toes.
Amirah dried off her feet at the back door and walked inside. Mama was holding out the phone.
“Who is it?” Amirah asked. But Mama just smiled mysteriously as she gave Amirah the phone.
“Hello?” Amirah said into the phone.
“Hey, it’s me,” her friend Paulina replied.
“Paulina! What’s going on?” Amirah exclaimed. She wandered into the next room and flopped onto the love seat.
“That’s, uh, that’s actually what I called to ask you,” Paulina said.
Amirah tilted her head. There was something odd in Paulina’s voice. She usually sounded so cheerful; her sunny laugh was one of Amirah’s favorite things about her. But today, there was no sunshine in Paulina’s voice. Just sadness.
“Oh, you know, not much,” Amirah said. “I planted some violets in the backyard. I want to make candied violets! It’s not that hard, but you need super-extra-fresh flowers, and then you dip them in a . . .”
Amirah’s voice trailed off when she realized that she was the only one doing any talking. She took a breath. “Hey,” she said, trying to start over. “What’s wrong?”
There was a long silence. Amirah started to fidget, not sure what she should say next.
At last, Paulina spoke. “I was just wondering why you didn’t come to my birthday party,” she said, the words tumbling out in a rush. “I thought—I really thought—you’d be there.”
Amirah sat up straight, her heart pounding. “You had a birthday party?” she asked. Of course, Amirah knew that it was about time for Paulina’s birthday—she kept a list of the birthdays of everybody she’d ever met—but this was the first she was hearing about a birthday party.
“It was yesterday,” Paulina said in a small voice. “I mailed the invitations a month ago.”
“A month ago?” Amirah repeated, racking her brain as she tried to remember if she’d received an invitation to Paulina’s birthday party. No. She hadn’t. That was something Amirah would never forget. “But—I—I never got one!”
“You didn’t?” Paulina said in surprise. “I know I sent one. Yours was the first one I made! You’re the birthday princess of Chihuahua after all.”
Amirah tried to smile, but her mouth couldn’t quite manage it. “I’m so sorry, Paulina,” she said. “I would never have missed your birthday party if I’d known about it.”
“The invitation must’ve gotten lost in the mail,” Paulina mused. “You know, looking back, it did seem a little weird that you didn’t RSVP. But I figured you’d just show up anyway.”
“I always RSVP for a birthday party,” Amirah said firmly.
“Don’t I know it!” Paulina said with a laugh. Now that she knew Amirah hadn’t skipped her party on purpose, the sunshine had returned to Paulina’s voice. But Amirah was feeling worse and worse about what had happened.
“I’m so, so sorry,” she told Paulina. “I promise I’ll find a way to make it up to you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Paulina said. “These things happen. Besides, I’ll have another party next year—and I know you’ll be there!”
“You can count on it,” Amirah promised.
After Amirah hung up the phone, Mama came into the living room. She could tell right away that something was bothering Amirah. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Oh, Mama,” Amirah said. “Paulina had a birthday party yesterday and I didn’t show up because I never got the invitation and I know it’s not my fault but I feel terrible about it!”
Mama wrapped her arm around Amirah’s shoulders. “You didn’t get the invitation?” she asked. “That’s so odd. The same thing happened to your brother last month.”
Amirah’s shoulders straightened. “Really?” she asked. “Amir was invited to a birthday party, but his invitation never came?”
Mama nodded. “Yes, it happened during the week you were at camp,” she explained. “He was really disappointed to miss his friend’s birthday party too.”
“It’s not just missing the party,” Amirah tried to explain. “It’s—I feel like I let Paulina down. Birthdays are really important! They deserve to be celebrated by everybody—especially your closest friends! But I didn’t even show up for her party. Like I didn’t even care.”
Just saying the words out loud made Amirah feel even worse.
“But you do care,” Mama reminded her. “I’m sure Paulina knows that. You know, Amir made a birthday card for his friend and we made a special delivery—”
“Oh, I’m