Hurry Up, Houdini!

by Mary Pope Osborne

  Magic Tree House® Books

  #1: DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK

  #2: THE KNIGHT AT DAWN

  #3: MUMMIES IN THE MORNING

  #4: PIRATES PAST NOON

  #5: NIGHT OF THE NINJAS

  #6: AFTERNOON ON THE AMAZON

  #7: SUNSET OF THE SABERTOOTH

  #8: MIDNIGHT ON THE MOON

  #9: DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK

  #10: GHOST TOWN AT SUNDOWN

  #11: LIONS AT LUNCHTIME

  #12: POLAR BEARS PAST BEDTIME

  #13: VACATION UNDER THE VOLCANO

  #14: DAY OF THE DRAGON KING

  #15: VIKING SHIPS AT SUNRISE

  #16: HOUR OF THE OLYMPICS

  #17: TONIGHT ON THE TITANIC

  #18: BUFFALO BEFORE BREAKFAST

  #19: TIGERS AT TWILIGHT

  #20: DINGOES AT DINNERTIME

  #21: CIVIL WAR ON SUNDAY

  #22: REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON WEDNESDAY

  #23: TWISTER ON TUESDAY

  #24: EARTHQUAKE IN THE EARLY MORNING

  #25: STAGE FRIGHT ON A SUMMER NIGHT

  #26: GOOD MORNING, GORILLAS

  #27: THANKSGIVING ON THURSDAY

  #28: HIGH TIDE IN HAWAII

  Merlin Missions

  #29: CHRISTMAS IN CAMELOT

  #30: HAUNTED CASTLE ON HALLOWS EVE

  #31: SUMMER OF THE SEA SERPENT

  #32: WINTER OF THE ICE WIZARD

  #33: CARNIVAL AT CANDLELIGHT

  #34: SEASON OF THE SANDSTORMS

  #35: NIGHT OF THE NEW MAGICIANS

  #36: BLIZZARD OF THE BLUE MOON

  #37: DRAGON OF THE RED DAWN

  #38: MONDAY WITH A MAD GENIUS

  #39: DARK DAY IN THE DEEP SEA

  #40: EVE OF THE EMPEROR PENGUIN

  #41: MOONLIGHT ON THE MAGIC FLUTE

  #42: A GOOD NIGHT FOR GHOSTS

  #43: LEPRECHAUN IN LATE WINTER

  #44: A GHOST TALE FOR CHRISTMAS TIME

  #45: A CRAZY DAY WITH COBRAS

  #46: DOGS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT

  #47: ABE LINCOLN AT LAST!

  #48: A PERFECT TIME FOR PANDAS

  #49: STALLION BY STARLIGHT

  Magic Tree House® Fact Trackers

  DINOSAURS

  KNIGHTS AND CASTLES

  MUMMIES AND PYRAMIDS

  PIRATES

  RAIN FORESTS

  SPACE

  TITANIC

  TWISTERS AND OTHER TERRIBLE STORMS

  DOLPHINS AND SHARKS

  ANCIENT GREECE AND THE OLYMPICS

  AMERICAN REVOLUTION

  SABERTOOTHS AND THE ICE AGE

  PILGRIMS

  ANCIENT ROME AND POMPEII

  TSUNAMIS AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS

  POLAR BEARS AND THE ARCTIC

  SEA MONSTERS

  PENGUINS AND ANTARCTICA

  LEONARDO DA VINCI

  GHOSTS

  LEPRECHAUNS AND IRISH FOLKLORE

  RAGS AND RICHES: KIDS IN THE TIME OF CHARLES DICKENS

  SNAKES AND OTHER REPTILES

  DOG HEROES

  ABRAHAM LINCOLN

  PANDAS AND OTHER ENDANGERED SPECIES

  HORSE HEROES

  More Magic Tree House®

  GAMES AND PUZZLES FROM THE TREE HOUSE

  MAGIC TRICKS FROM THE TREE HOUSE

  This is a work of fiction. All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical and public figures, are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical or public figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues concerning those persons are fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the fictional nature of the work. In all other respects, any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2013 by Mary Pope Osborne

  Jacket art and interior illustrations copyright © 2013 by Sal Murdocca

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc. Magic Tree House is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.

  Visit us on the Web!

  randomhouse.com/kids

  MagicTreeHouse.com

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Osborne, Mary Pope.

  Hurry up, Houdini! / by Mary Pope Osborne; illustrated by Sal Murdocca.

  p. cm. — (Magic tree house; #50)

  Summary: “Join Jack and Annie as they meet one of the world’s most famous illusionists—Harry Houdini!” —Provided by publisher.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-98047-2

  [1. Time travel—Fiction. 2. Magicians—Fiction. 3. Houdini, Harry, 1874–1926—Fiction. 4. New York (N.Y.)—History—20th century—Fiction. 5. Magic—Fiction. 6. Tree houses—Fiction.] I. Murdocca, Sal, illustrator. II. Title.

  PZ7.O81167Hur 2013 [Fic]—dc23 2012045610

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v3.1_r1

  For the Korner family,

  Jim, Toni, Courtney, and Tom

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1. Message from Merlin

  2. My Treat!

  3. S-O-L-D O-U-T

  4. Okay! Good-Bye!

  5. Together

  6. Jolly Jack and the Amazing Annie

  7. Hurry Up, Houdini!

  8. Master of Escape

  9. The Real Story

  10. Best Escape Act Ever

  Author’s Note

  Where Did the Coin Go? (From Magic Tricks from the Tree House)

  Prologue

  One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. It was filled with books. A boy named Jack and his sister, Annie, found the tree house and soon discovered that it was magic. They could go to any time and place in history just by pointing to a picture in one of the books. While they were gone, no time at all passed back in Frog Creek.

  Jack and Annie eventually found out that the tree house belonged to Morgan le Fay, a magical librarian from the legendary realm of Camelot. They have since traveled on many adventures in the magic tree house and completed many missions for both Morgan le Fay and her friend Merlin the magician.

  Now Merlin needs Jack and Annie’s help again. He wants them to travel through time and learn secrets of greatness from four people who are called great by the world. Jack and Annie have just returned from the first of these four missions: a trip to ancient Macedonia, where they spent time with Alexander the Great and his warhorse, Bucephalus.

  Back in Frog Creek, they are waiting to find out where Merlin will send them to find the next secret of greatness.…

  Early one summer evening, Jack lay on the couch, reading a book about the history of horses.

  “Jack, could you run and get Annie from Jenny’s house, please?” their mom called from the kitchen. “We’re grilling hot dogs soon.”

  “Sure,” said Jack. He closed his book, hopped off the couch, and headed out the front door. As he started down the porch steps, Annie charged into the yard.

  “It’s back!” she said, out of breath.

  “You’re kidding!” said Jack.

  “No! I’m serious!” said Annie. “On my way home from Jenny’s, I checked the woods. I had a funny feeling it was back—and it was!”

&n
bsp; “Are Merlin and Penny there?” asked Jack.

  “I don’t think so,” said Annie. “I shouted hello, but no one answered. I wanted to come get you before I climbed up!”

  “Thanks,” said Jack. “Wait here. I’ll tell Mom.” He dashed back into the house. “Mom, can Annie and I do something for about twenty minutes?” he called.

  “Okay, twenty minutes, no more,” said their mom. “The grill’s almost ready.”

  “Thanks!” said Jack. He looked at his wristwatch. It was 5:42. So they had to be home by two minutes after six. He grabbed his backpack and hurried out of the house. Annie was waiting on the sidewalk.

  “Twenty minutes! No more!” Jack called, running toward her.

  “No problem!” Annie said, and they hurried up the sidewalk together.

  “I’ll bet Merlin wants us to find another secret of greatness,” said Jack.

  “I know,” said Annie. “I can’t wait!”

  They crossed the street and headed into the Frog Creek woods. They ran through the shadowy light until they came to the tallest oak.

  “Merlin? Penny?” Annie called.

  There was no answer. The woods were still, strangely still. Not a leaf moved.

  “Let’s go up,” said Jack. He grabbed the rope ladder and started climbing. Annie followed. When they scrambled into the tree house, there was no sign of Merlin or Penny.

  “Not here,” said Annie.

  “Nope,” said Jack. “But everything else is.”

  He pointed to a piece of paper lying on the floor in the corner. On the paper he’d written the secret of greatness they’d learned on their last mission:

  HUMILITY

  Sitting on top of the paper were two things—a small gold ring and a tiny bottle. Annie picked up the ring and held it out to Jack. “The Ring of Truth,” she said. “You get to wear it this time.”

  “Thanks,” said Jack. He took the gold ring and slipped it onto his finger.

  “Just make sure you keep checking to see if it’s glowing,” said Annie.

  “Don’t worry, I will,” said Jack. According to Merlin, the Ring of Truth would glow only when Jack and Annie discovered a true secret of greatness.

  Annie picked up the tiny bottle. She and Jack stared at its swirling contents. “Wow,” she breathed. “Merlin’s magic mist.”

  Jack repeated the words of Camelot’s magician: “Mist gathered at first light on the first day of the new moon on the Isle of Avalon.”

  “Good memory,” said Annie.

  “Who wouldn’t remember that?” said Jack. “If we take a sniff, we can be great at anything we choose for one hour.”

  “That’s so cool,” said Annie.

  “Yeah,” said Jack. He had loved becoming a great horse trainer on their last mission. “I wonder what talent we’ll have this time. And where will we go?”

  Annie pointed at a booklet that was lying in the shadows. She picked it up and handed it to Jack.

  “Coney Island, I think,” she said.

  Jack read the title:

  “Coney Island. Isn’t that in New York?” said Annie.

  “Yep. Look, there’s a note inside,” said Jack. He pulled out a piece of parchment from the booklet. He read aloud:

  Dear Jack and Annie,

  Thank you for successfully completing your first mission to find a secret of greatness. Now on your new mission, I would like you to learn a second secret—this time, from the Great Houdini.

  —M.

  “Oh, man, the Great Houdini!” said Jack.

  “What did he do?” said Annie.

  “Dad told me about him,” said Jack. “He could escape from anything! Chains, ropes, locks, handcuffs, prisons. He was amazing!”

  “Was he a criminal?” said Annie.

  Jack laughed. “No, he was a performer—the greatest escape artist who ever lived,” he said. “He performed his act all over the world. I can’t believe we’re actually going to meet him!”

  “So where do we find a person like that?” asked Annie.

  “Coney Island!” said Jack, holding up the booklet.

  “Oh, yeah, duh,” said Annie. “So make the wish and let’s go!”

  “Okay!” said Jack. He put Merlin’s message and the magic mist into his backpack. Then he pointed to the words Coney Island on the booklet. “I wish we could go there!”

  The wind started to blow.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  Jack heard people laughing and shouting. A brass band was playing a lively tune. He and Annie looked out the window. The tree house had landed in a cluster of trees. High above the trees were towers, turrets, domes, and spires.

  “Are those castles?” asked Annie. “Did we land in the Middle Ages?”

  “Definitely not,” said Jack. “Look at our clothes.” In the dim light inside the tree house, Jack could see that he was wearing knee-length pants, a long-sleeved shirt, high socks, and lace-up boots. His backpack was now a leather bag.

  “You’re right,” said Annie. She was wearing a sailor dress and a pair of boots. “These are like the clothes we wore when we went to San Francisco.”

  “Yep, in the early 1900s,” said Jack. He reached into one of his pockets and took out a watch on a chain. “Look, I have a pocket watch now instead of a wristwatch. And”—from the other pocket, Jack pulled out a handful of coins—“a bunch of pennies!”

  “Just pennies? That’s all?” said Annie.

  “Don’t worry,” said Jack. “I once read that a penny in 1900 was worth the same as a quarter in our time.”

  “Cool, we’re rich,” said Annie with a laugh.

  “Here, take some,” said Jack. He gave Annie half of his handful of coins.

  “Thanks,” Annie said, dropping the pennies into the pocket of her dress. “Okay! Let’s find out what’s going on here!” She headed down the ladder. Jack slung his bag over his shoulder and followed her.

  Jack and Annie stepped down into a walled garden lit by a string of tiny lights. They walked together down a pebbled path and over a small bridge that crossed a brook. Then they came to a wooden gate with a sign that said THANKS FOR VISITING THE JAPANESE TEA GARDEN.

  “We landed in a Japanese tea garden?” said Jack. “What’s that about?”

  “Keep going,” said Annie. She opened the gate, and they stepped from the shadowy garden into a bright open space.

  “Wow!” they said together.

  Beneath the turrets and towers, thousands of electric lights lit up the evening sky. A big band played on a raised platform near a lake. Men in white suits and women in long white dresses strolled down a broad avenue. Children dressed like Jack and Annie darted about, shouting and pointing at different attractions:

  The air smelled of salt water, roasting nuts, and popcorn. Vendors shouted: “Step right up! World’s greatest ice cream! Strawberry! Vanilla!” “World’s greatest pink lemonade!” “World’s greatest hot dogs!”

  “What is this place?” said Annie.

  Jack opened their booklet and read:

  Located in southern Brooklyn, in New York City, Coney Island is actually a peninsula—a piece of land nearly surrounded by water. Coney Island is world-famous for its dazzling amusement parks.

  “Of course, I understand,” said Jack. “We landed in an amusement park.”

  “I love it!” said Annie. “Let’s get a hot dog!”

  “No, we’d better not,” said Jack. “We should find Houdini first. Let’s see if the 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 toda
y 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 bread and 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-smelling waffle 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!”