The Mystery of the Missing Homework: Blame It on the Dog

Mrs. Thompson’s classroom was filled with the usual hustle and bustle of fourth graders getting ready for the day. The bell had just rung, and students were settling into their seats. Mrs. Thompson, a kind but firm teacher, walked to the front of the class with a stack of papers in her hand.

"Good morning, class," she began. "I hope everyone has their homework ready to hand in."

The students groaned collectively, reaching into their backpacks to retrieve their assignments. All except one: Max. Max was the class clown, always full of excuses and tall tales. Today, he looked particularly anxious as he rifled through his bag.

"Max," Mrs. Thompson called, "do you have your homework?"

Max’s face turned red as he stammered, "Uh, well, you see, Mrs. Thompson, my dog ate my homework."

The class erupted into laughter. Mrs. Thompson raised an eyebrow. "Max, that's the oldest excuse in the book. Did you really expect me to believe that?"

"But it's true!" Max insisted. "Rufus got into my room last night, and he just... ate it."

Mrs. Thompson sighed. "Alright, Max. Let's say for a moment that your dog really did eat your homework. What are you going to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?"

Max had no answer. He slumped in his seat, feeling defeated. But his best friends, Lily and Sam, weren’t ready to let him off the hook so easily.

"Max, this is serious," Lily whispered during recess. "If you don’t do something about your homework, you’ll fail."

Sam nodded in agreement. "Maybe we should go to your house after school and check things out. You know, see if Rufus really ate it."

Max perked up. "You’d really do that?"

"Of course," Lily said. "Friends help each other out."

After school, the trio walked to Max’s house. Max’s mom greeted them warmly and pointed them towards his room. They found Rufus, Max’s large, goofy golden retriever, lying on the bed, wagging his tail happily.

"Rufus, did you really eat my homework?" Max asked, scratching the dog’s head. Rufus just barked in response.

Lily began searching the room. "Let’s see if we can find any clues."

Sam joined in, checking under the bed and around the desk. Suddenly, he shouted, "Hey, look at this!"

He held up a chewed-up piece of paper. Max’s eyes widened. "That’s my homework!"

Lily examined the paper. "Well, it looks like Rufus did chew on it. But why would he do that?"

Max shrugged. "He’s just a dog. Maybe he thought it was a toy."

Sam laughed. "Or maybe he was trying to help you get out of doing homework."

"Very funny," Max said, rolling his eyes.

Lily sighed. "We need to figure out how to keep your homework safe from now on."

Max thought for a moment. "Maybe I can do my homework at the kitchen table from now on. Rufus isn’t allowed in there."

"That’s a good idea," Sam agreed. "And we can help you get started on your next assignment right now."

They spent the afternoon working on Max’s new homework assignment, keeping Rufus entertained with toys and treats in the living room. By the time they were finished, Max felt relieved and grateful for his friends’ help.

The next day, Max proudly handed in his homework. Mrs. Thompson gave him a smile of approval. "Well done, Max. I’m glad to see you’re taking responsibility."

Max beamed. "Thanks, Mrs. Thompson. And thanks to my friends, too."

As the weeks went by, Max kept his promise to do his homework at the kitchen table. With Lily and Sam’s support, he started to take his schoolwork more seriously. And while Rufus remained his playful, mischievous self, he never got the chance to eat Max’s homework again.

The mystery of the missing homework was solved, and Max learned an important lesson about responsibility and the value of good friends. And whenever Mrs. Thompson reminded the class about the importance of doing their homework, she couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of Max’s unforgettable excuse: "Blame it on the dog."