Squishy and her twin stepsisters, Vee and Jessie, are on the trail of a mystery; it starts with "Boring Lady" working in her office across the street at 2:57 in the morning, continues with the trashing of Mr. Hinkenbushel's apartment next door, and apparently involves illegal diamonds--and Squishy becomes convinced that Mr. Hinkenbushel is the diamond smuggler, only none of the grownups believe her.

While cleaning her office at the Sparrow Island Nature Conservatory, Abigail Stanton discovers a stunning blue diamond necklace hidden in her desk. Who could have hidden it there and why? Abby finds out that the jewel may be the famous Blue Moon diamond, and legend has it that anyone possessing this gem is doomed.

A fifth-grader with a photographic memory and her friend Eric help solve the mystery of the stolen diamonds.

Before a diamon is a gem, it's a common gray rock called graphite. Through an intense trial of heat and pressure, it changes into one of the most valuable stones in the world. Before Tracy Hall was an inventor, he was a boy- born into poverty, bullied by peers, forced to work at an early age. However, through education and experimentation, he became one of the brightest innovators of the twentieth century, eventually building a revolutionary machine...

"Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose solve a mystery at the Museum of Science"--

Provides information about diamonds, where and how they are mined, and their many uses in industry and as luxuries. Includes a glossary and resources for further study.