Home on the Range

by Miranda Jones

  “What a wonderful vacation!” Mom sighed happily as they bumped off down the dusty road. “Even though we weren't at a spa, I feel really relaxed and reenergized.”

  Suddenly Ali saw Genie peek out of her backpack, which was on the seat next to her Genie was waving her wrist madly in the air. The last few grains of sand had fallen through the hourglass, and Ali's wishes were over.

  Ali twisted around in her seat. The wooden gates of the ranch had vanished, replaced by ornate, wrought-iron ones below a large white sign with JOSEPH WEST'S RELAXATION RETREAT written on it in gold letters. The herds of cattle had disappeared. The paddocks had been replaced by the swimming pool and exercise studio Ali had seen in the brochure. And instead of log cabins, there were little white clapboard cottages with wind chimes hanging on the verandas. Ali squinted. And was that Cowboy Joe in a yoga leotard?

  She breathed a sigh of relief. The spell had lasted just long enough!

  Then she noticed that Gran was staring back at the ranch too. She looked extremely puzzled. Ali's heart beat faster as Gran glanced over at her Genie dove inside the backpack.

  “I think I need some new glasses,” Gran muttered, taking hers off and giving them a good rub on her shirt.

  “What was everyone's favorite part of the vacation?” Ali asked, hoping to prevent the rest of her family from looking back.

  “All of it!” Jake declared.

  Mr. and Mrs. Miller nodded.

  “I loved it, even though there weren't any antique shops,” Gran said.

  “We all had such a good time, I think we should come back next year!” Mom declared.

  Ali cheered along with Jake and Gran, but inside, her heart sank. How on earth will I do that? Meanwhile, Genie was giggling away inside the backpack.

  “What about something a bit different for your next family vacation?” Genie whispered. “An astronaut training center? A wilderness survival course? A circus? You could learn how to become a lion tamer, Ali!”

  “Nooo!” Ali groaned quietly. “Stop it, Genie!”

  Genie winked at her “Think about it,” she whispered. “It'd be fun!”

  A circus would be fun, Ali thought. She'd get to meet all the animals, and she could try bareback riding and acrobatics and the flying trapeze!

  Even though Jake began to kick the back of her seat, Ali smiled.

  Because life was never ever boring when you had your very own genie!

  About the Author

  Miranda Jones lives in a regular house in London. She's sure a genie bottle would be much more exciting.

  Don't miss Little Genie #6,

  When Little Genie's hourglass watch breaks, leaving Ali the same size as Genie, there's only one thing for the two friends to do: take a trip to magical Genieland to ask for help!

  Published by Yearling, an imprint of Random House Children's Books a division of Random House, Inc., New York

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2008 by Working Partners Ltd. Illustrations copyright © 2008 by David Calver

  A Working Partners Book

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

  Visit us on the Web! www.randomhouse.com/kids

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at www.randomhouse.com/teachers

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Jones, Miranda.

  Home on the range / by Miranda Jones; illustrated by David Calver p. cm.—(Little Genie)

  Summary: When Ali wishes for the family vacation to be more fun, she gets more than she bargained for when the spa is turned into a Wild West ranch, cactus start walking, and a mule starts talking.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-49654-6

  [1. Genies—Fiction. 2. Magic—Fiction. 3. Wishes—Fiction.4. Ranch life— Fiction.] I. Calver, David, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.J7237Ho 2008

  [Fic]—dc22 2007003181

  v3.0