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

guidebook says anything about him.” He opened their booklet and thumbed through the pages. “Houdini … Houdini …” He ran his finger down a page. “Hey, here’s an ad for his show!”
    Jack read aloud:

    “Oh, wow,” said Annie. “Our tourist booklet must be from 1908! And I bet Merlin wants us to see Houdini at Henderson’s Music Hall! Excuse me,” she called to a couple strolling by. “Is today by any chance June twenty-second, 1908?”
    The woman laughed. “It is indeed,” she said.
    “Thanks!” said Annie.
    Jack pulled out his pocket watch. “It’s six-forty right now,” he said.
    “Oh, we have
tons
of time,” said Annie. “C’mon. Let’s get a hot dog.”
    “No,” said Jack, “I think we should get our tickets. They might—”
    “We have over two hours!” Annie interrupted. “It doesn’t take long to eat a hot dog. My treat!” She grabbed Jack and pulled him toward the hot dog stand.
    “Okay, okay,” Jack said, sighing. Actually the smells coming from the stand were pretty wonderful.
    “How much?” Annie said to a girl grilling hot dogs on a portable stove.
    “Three cents each,” the girl answered, “or two for a nickel.”
    “No problem! Two, please!” said Annie. She counted out five pennies and gave them to the girl.
    The girl wrapped two hot dogs in white breadand loaded them with relish. She passed them to Annie and Jack.
    Jack took a giant bite. “Hmm—dewicious!” he said with his mouth full. “Iz gweatest wha dawg eh de wawld.”
    Annie nodded. “Wewy gweatest!” she said, her mouth full, too.
    When they finished eating, they wiped their mouths with a handkerchief from Jack’s pocket. “Okay! Let’s get our Houdini tickets now!” he said.
    “Wait, we still have time for ice cream,” said Annie. “They have strawberry. Your favorite!”
    “Hmm … ice cream?” said Jack.
    “It’ll just take two minutes,” said Annie. “The greatest in the world, remember?”
    “Okay,
my
treat,” said Jack.
    “Yay. Thanks!” said Annie.
    They hurried to the window of a small ice cream shop. “Two cones of strawberry,” Jack said.
    “Four cents,” the ice cream man said.
    Jack handed over four pennies. The man scooped strawberry ice cream into two sweet-smellingwaffle cones and handed them to Jack. Jack and Annie ate their ice cream as they strolled up the dazzling avenue, passing different rides and attractions.
    “Trip to the Moon!” a young man shouted at them. “Get 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