Magic Tree House #50: Hurry Up, Houdini! (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) Read Free

your tickets here!”
    “Been there!” Jack said.
    “Done that,” added Annie.
    A boy in a fur parka rolled by on a unicycle. “Tickets for a submarine ride!” he yelled to Jack and Annie. “Departing soon for the North Pole!”
    “Been there!” said Annie.
    “Done that,” said Jack.
    “Kansas Cyclone!” a girl shouted from the entrance of a large tent. “Come inside and be blown away!”
    “Been there. Done that, too,” said Jack.
    Annie laughed.
    As soon as he finished his ice cream cone, Jack wiped his hands and opened their booklet. “Okay. Now we have to get serious,” he said. “I wonder where Surf Avenue is.”
    “Hey, I see something we haven’t done before,” said Annie. “Look!”
    Annie pointed to a boat filled with screaming passengers splashing down a tall, watery slide. The boat crashed into a lake and shot under an arched bridge. The riders shrieked as they bounced up into the air. Then the boat glided across the lake to a landing.
    “Shoot-the-Chutes!” a man yelled from a ticket booth. “Only one dime! Jump aboard!”
    “Wow, that looks like so much fun! Let’s do it. My treat,” said Annie. Before Jack could say anything, she dashed to the booth.
    Jack quickly followed her. “No, Annie,” he said. “I want to get our tickets for the Houdini show
now
.”
    But Annie had already pulled out a bunch of pennies and was paying for two tickets.
    “I said I didn’t—” Jack said.
    “Oh, please!” Annie said, handing Jack his ticket. “We have plenty of time. One little ride won’t hurt us.”
    Jack sighed. “But I—” he started.
    “Come on, come on,” Annie said. “We’ll get Houdini tickets right after this, I promise. This will just take an extra five minutes, that’s all.”
    “Okay, you win,” said Jack. “Let’s go.”
    Jack followed Annie to a boat. The last passengers were climbing out, talking and laughing. Others were waiting to climb in—four giggling teenage girls and a short man and woman who both wore large hats. The woman’s hat was piled high with fake roses and bananas.
    “The kids ride up front!” the boatman said.
    Jack and Annie stepped into the boat, and the teenagers and the couple in the hats took seats behind them. The boatman sat in the back. Soon cables began pulling the boat up a ramp that led to the top of the slide.
    “Whoa,” Jack breathed as the boat climbed higher and higher. The amusement park shimmered below. Hundreds of flags flapped from turrets and towers.
    What keeps the boat from tumbling off its
tracks?
Jack wondered. “There’re no seat belts here,” he grumbled to Annie, “or safety bars, or anything. How do people keep from falling out of this thing?”

    “I don’t know,” said Annie, sighing. “But could you just try to have fun? It’s a normal, everyday ride.”
    “Yeah, well, we don’t really have time for a normal, everyday ride,” said Jack. “We should have gotten our tickets for the Houdini show already.”
    “You don’t have to be so grouchy,” said Annie.
    “I’m not grouchy,” Jack said grouchily. “But why do we always do what you want to do?”
    Before Annie could answer, the boat swiveled on a turnaround at the top of the ramp. Then it jerked forward and barreled down the slide toward the lake!
    “AHHHHHH!” Jack yelled.

T he boat splashed into the lake and shot under the arched bridge. Then it bounced into the air, splashing water everywhere. Jack closed his eyes and ducked his head. All the teenagers screamed. For a moment the boat seemed to fly! Then it landed back on the lake and steadied itself.
    Jack opened his eyes and looked around.
    Annie was laughing with the other passengers as the boat glided peacefully across the water. Everyone seemed to be having fun. But Jack’s heart was thumping and his stomach felt queasy.
    The boatman docked the boat and helped everyone onto the landing. The passengers scattered in different directions.
    “Okay! Time to go to the theater!”