Hurry Up, Houdini! Read online

  “Yep, but first we have to write down our new secret of greatness,” said Annie.

  Jack pulled out a pencil and picked up the paper that was still lying on the floor. And under the word HUMILITY, he wrote:

  HARD WORK

  “Hard work,” said Annie. “That’s so simple.”

  “Yep,” said Jack. “Sometimes the truth is amazingly simple.” He placed the Ring of Truth on top of the paper. “And I’ll leave this, too”—he took the little bottle from his backpack and placed it beside the ring—“for next time.”

  “Mist gathered at first light on the first day of the new moon on the Isle of Avalon,” said Annie.

  Jack closed his backpack. “Okay, that’s it! Let’s go! Mom’s hot dogs are waiting!”

  “Greatest in the world!” said Annie. The two of them climbed down from the ladder and headed through the trees.

  “You know what?” said Annie.

  “What?” asked Jack.

  “You know how we were supposed to learn a secret of greatness from the Great Houdini?” Annie said.

  “Yep,” said Jack.

  “And we kept waiting for Harry to say or do something to make the ring glow?” said Annie.

  “Yeah,” said Jack.

  “But in the end, we learned the secret from Bess, not Harry,” said Annie.

  “You’re right,” said Jack.

  “So I think Bess was the Great Houdini that Merlin sent us to find,” said Annie.

  “Why do you think Bess was great?” asked Jack.

  “Well, she was kind and funny and friendly,” said Annie.

  “Yeah …,” said Jack, “like you.”

  “Me?” said Annie. “Huh.” She looked a little embarrassed. “Well, also she was a loyal person. She was loyal to Harry.”

  “That’s true,” said Jack.

  “She was loyal like you are,” said Annie.

  “Me?” said Jack.

  “Yep, you came right back when you realized I needed help,” said Annie. “Even though I’d made you really mad.”

  “Well, you were loyal, too,” said Jack. “You didn’t hold a grudge because I’d left you.”

  “Me, loyal?” said Annie. “And kind and funny and friendly? You think I’m all that? Seriously? Me?”

  “Okay, forget it,” said Jack, grinning.

  “No, I’m going to remember all those things,” said Annie. “And the next time you’re mad at me, I’m going to remind you how great I am. How loyal and kind and funny—”

  “Okay, okay, that’s enough!” said Jack. “Bye!” He took off running. He ran out of the Frog Creek woods, across the street, and down the sidewalk.

  “Wait! Slow down! You can’t escape from me!” called Annie. She ran after Jack as fast as she could and caught up with him before he reached home.

  While doing my research for Hurry Up, Houdini!, I loved learning more about Beatrice “Bess” Houdini. Harry first met Bess in Coney Island in 1893 when he and his brother Dash were performing as a magic act called the Brothers Houdini, and eighteen-year-old Bess was singing and dancing with the Floral Sisters. Bess and Harry were married three weeks later. Bess became Harry’s partner onstage as he continued to develop and perform his amazing illusions. For the next thirty years, the two traveled all over the world together.

  I also had a great time learning more about Coney Island, New York. In its heyday in the early 1900s, Coney Island was famous for its spectacular amusement parks. The rides were unlike anything the world had ever seen. I decided to set this story in Luna Park and chose a combination of attractions from the first decade of the park’s existence.

  I think it would have been so exciting to have actually met the Houdinis and to have gone to Coney Island in the early 1900s. But the best thing about writing this book is that now I feel almost like I really did spend a summer evening in Luna Park with Bess and Harry long ago.

  PREPARATION: Tear off a piece of tinfoil that will be big enough to fold around a nickel. Rub the covered coin with your thumb so that you can see a clear outline and the details of the coin underneath. Be sure to do the edges, too.

  Now carefully cut out around the coin you’ve made and be sure the sides show. Remove the real nickel. When you finish, the foil should look like a shiny coin.

  FACT: Hiding something in your hand is often called palming. The great magician T. Nelson Downs could palm sixty coins at one time. In one trick, he seemed to pull huge numbers of coins out of the air and dropped them loudly into a bucket.

  1. Show that you’ve got five “nickels” in your hand. Keep the fake nickel slightly hidden by the real ones.

  2. Close your hand into a fist. As you do so, crumple the tinfoil coin into a tiny ball with your thumb and push it under the other coins.

  3. Open your hand. There are only four nickels. (The fake coin is a tiny ball hidden by the other nickels.)

  Coming in January 2014!

  Jack and Annie are rescued by Florence Nightingale after a scary accident!

  Meet some of the greatest heroes of all time!