Frankie Sparks and the Talent Show Trick Read online

  “That’s us!” Frankie exclaimed.

  Frankie tugged her hat down on her head and grabbed her magic bag. Maya rolled their table out onto the stage. Their magic cabinet was already set up toward the back.

  “Break a leg,” Ravi told them. He didn’t mean it for real. That was how performers wished each other luck. Frankie flashed him a thumbs-up sign.

  Frankie placed her magic bag on the table and began arranging the items inside while the crowd hushed. When everyone was quiet, she turned and faced the audience. She pressed her fingertips together as if she were concentrating very, very hard. Mr. Winklesmith had told her that was how you got the audience under your spell.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” she said slowly. “Boys and girls. Prepare to be amazed. You are about to see feats of magic the likes of which you have never experienced before. You will be stupefied!”

  She shook out her sleeves. Inside her sleeve was the long scarf she needed for the first trick. They had come up with a list of tricks for which Maya didn’t have to handle too many props. They’d decided to do an easy one to start, to make sure Maya was comfortable.

  “I am the Great Francesca, Empress of Magic. For my first trick, I will feed my assistant, Maya the Magnificent, this scarf.” She shook a scarf in her left hand with a flourish. “And pull it from her ear. Maya, are you ready to eat this scarf?”

  Maya smiled and gave one big nod.

  Frankie and Maya stood face-to-face, profiles to the audience. “This scarf, I will have you all know, tastes like butterscotch ice cream, Maya’s favorite,” Frankie said. She started feeding a scarf into Maya’s mouth. Really she was tucking it back into her hand, but she moved her other hand quickly, and Maya made her cheeks bigger and bigger.

  Maya turned to face the audience. Her eyes were wide, but that was okay. It kind of went along with the trick. She kept her hands tucked behind her back so that people couldn’t see them shaking. She made a big swallowing motion, let the air out of her cheeks, and rubbed her belly. Some of the younger kids in the audience gasped. But they hadn’t even seen the best part of the trick yet.

  “Let me help get that out of you, Maya,” Frankie said. She held her hands up by Maya’s ear and appeared to pull out the scarf. She hesitated for a moment, and then pulled out another scarf. And another and another. The scarves littered the floor. The audience gasped and clapped. Finally she pulled out the last scarf and held it above her head. Frankie and Maya each gave a small bow.

  The audience clapped wildly, making Maya grin at Frankie. It was a small grin, to be sure, but it was something.

  They did a coin trick, and the disappearing-in-the-box trick—which, Frankie had to admit, had been a little better when Opus had snuck in with her.

  Now it was time for the grand finale. The great card trick. Frankie looked at Maya. Maya gave her a thumbs-up. It wasn’t strictly professional, but Frankie figured it was okay.

  “We need a volunteer from the audience,” Frankie said. A sea of hands shot up. Frankie called on Violet.

  Frankie took out her card holder. “For this trick, we will use a device specially designed for this magic show. This is the world premiere of the Great Card-ola, and it is only with us, the Empress of Magic and Maya the Magnificent, that you will see this trick performed in this daring manner.”

  Something else Mr. Winklesmith had told her was that it was important to raise the drama.

  Frankie pointed to the deck of cards on her magic table. “I need you to shuffle the deck,” she said to Violet.

  “I’ve been practicing so I can be a magician like you!” Violet said.

  Frankie grinned and put on her blindfold.

  Violet shuffled slowly and carefully. When she was finished, Maya said, “Now pick a card, any card, and show it to the audience.”

  Violet pulled one card from the deck and held it up so that the audience could see it. Now came the tricky part—getting the cards into the Great Card-ola. Maya held the Great Card-ola by its handle. It shook only a little. “Please place your card on top of the deck,” Maya instructed. “Now, to make sure we don’t know where the card is in the deck, please split the deck and place the top half into the Great Card-ola.”

  Violet stuck out her tongue as she followed the directions.

  “And now, carefully place the remaining half on top of the other cards, hiding your special card in the deck.”

  Frankie pulled off her blindfold just as Violet placed the second half of the deck onto the first half. Frankie was able to glimpse the card that would be right on top of Violet’s. It was the seven of clubs.

  “Now I, the Great Francesca, will reveal your card.”

  While Maya held out the Great Card-ola, Frankie pulled out the cards one at a time. She held each one up to her forehead and then dropped it to the floor. When she got the seven of clubs, she took a deep breath. Carefully she pulled out the next card. She held it to her forehead. Just like before, she closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them wide. “This!” she cried out. “This is your card!” She turned the card to the audience, and they all started clapping.

  Frankie, Maya, and Violet bowed together. The curtain closed, and they quickly gathered up their props and cleared off so that Lila could start her tap routine.

  When they got offstage, Ravi was waiting for them. He gave Maya a high five. “You did it!” he said.

  “Thanks to you,” Maya said. “I just kept telling myself that no matter what happened, I would be okay, because I have good friends like you. I mean, I was still terrified, but remembering that did help a little”

  She turned to Frankie and gave her a big hug. “Thanks, Frankie,” Maya said. “You’re the most amazing magician, and inventor, and friend who ever lived.”

  And that, Frankie thought, was even better than all the applause that still rang in her ears.

  CHAPTER 10

  Can I Have One?

  MS. MCLEWIS, WHO HAD BEEN FRANKIE’S kindergarten teacher, stopped her in the hall on Monday morning. “Nice job in the talent show!” she said.

  Frankie beamed.

  “Do you think you could make me one of those Great Card-olas?”

  “Do you do magic?”

  Ms. McLewis shook her head. “No, but I think some of my students could use it. I like to play card games with them, but some of their hands are pretty little, and it’s hard for them to hold the cards.”

  “Like Violet,” Frankie said. “That’s where I got the idea in the first place. She has a card holder that can hold cards for games like Go Fish.”

  “Exactly! But you made one that works for other games,” Ms. McLewis said. “Usually they put a pile on the table but this is way more fun!”

  “Are you talking about Frankie’s Card-ola?” Ms. Frost asked, poking her head out of her first-grade classroom.

  “It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?” Ms. McLewis said.

  “It is,” Frankie agreed.

  “I have some ideas for morning circle where each kid picks a card, but we haven’t been doing them because my kiddos drop the cards all the time. Their hands are too small to hold the deck in one hand and select a card with the other. But with the Great Card-ola, we could pass it around and choose cards. That’s much easier than passing around a deck. Do you think you could make me one too?”

  Frankie beamed. She had only been thinking about Maya when she’d invented the Card-ola, but now all these other people wanted to use it too. Just like whoever had invented the spatula in the first place had had no idea that someone would modify it for card tricks. Frankie thought it was pretty cool the way you could make an invention for one purpose but have other people find all sorts of other uses for it. “I will get right on it.”

  Frankie marched on down the hall to Ms. Cupid’s room. She felt as puffed up as a balloon about to burst. She met Ravi on the way in. “Good job at the talent show,” she said to him.

  “Thanks. You too,” he said.

  “I know,” she answered.

>   Ravi shook his head, but he was smiling. Then he said, “Hey, Frankie, did you hear about the magician who fell through the floor during his performance?”

  A magician who fell through the floor? Was this another problem for her to solve?

  “It’s okay,” Ravi said. “He was just going through a stage!”

  Ravi laughed at his own joke. Frankie groaned, but she smiled, too. Maybe, she thought, her next invention would be a joke meter that would help Ravi find the funniest jokes. She wasn’t quite sure how she would make something like that, but she knew she could figure it out. She always did, because she was Frankie Sparks, the world’s greatest third-grade inventor.

  Something Old into Something New

  HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE expression “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel”? It means that when we start a new project, we don’t have to go back and redo work that’s already been done. When Karl Benz was making the first car, he didn’t need to invent wheels—they already existed! Instead he focused on creating an engine to power the vehicle.

  When we think of inventors, we often think of people coming up with brand-new ideas. Ideas that are wild and original. Ideas that no one has seen before. Sometimes that happens, but a lot of times people use ideas that already exist, and modify or improve them to make something new. That’s what Frankie did in this story.

  When Frankie wanted to make a card holder for Maya, she used Violet’s card holder as an example. Seeing it sparked an idea, a brainstorm. When Frankie realized she needed something with a handle, she didn’t invent a new handle; she used one that already existed—the spatula! She combined these two ideas into one to design her Great Card-ola.

  Frankie was only thinking about Maya when she invented her Great Card-ola, but her teachers thought of other uses for her invention, such as helping their students hold flash cards. That’s what’s great about designing—it never really ends. Ideas grow and change and are used and reused over and over again.

  Your Turn to Be the Inventor!

  FRANKIE USED HER INVENTION SKILLS to help Maya be in the talent show. Do you have a friend or a family member who has a problem that’s getting in their way? Maybe you have a little brother or sister who can’t reach their favorite cereal in the pantry. Or maybe your teacher is always losing her favorite dry-erase marker. Ask around and see who could use the help of your great invention skills.

  Once you’ve found someone, you’re ready to follow the design process:

  First, identify the problem. Interview your friend or family member to get as much information as you can about the problem. Ask questions such as “When does this problem bother you?” and “What have you tried in the past to solve the problem?”

  Second, brainstorm. For this challenge, think about everyday objects you already have in your house or classroom that you could use to help solve the problem. Remember, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel!

  Next, design and build your solution.

  Then it’s time to test your design. Test it yourself first and see if there are any areas that need improvement. When you think it’s ready, bring it to your friend or family member and get feedback from them. Does it solve their problem? Keep redesigning and testing until you are both happy with the solution.

  Finally, share your solution by giving it to the person. You can also share it with other friends, family members, or teachers. They will be excited to see your work!

  Acknowledgments

  Writing a book is its own special version of the design process, one that is made better through collaboration, so I have many people to thank:

  Everyone at Aladdin for jumping on board with Frankie, especially editor Alyson Heller.

  Illustrator Nadja Sarell for bringing Frankie to life so vibrantly.

  Karen Sherman and Bara MacNeill for catching all the details.

  My first reader, Jack Blakemore, who gave me honest feedback.

  My character-naming helper, Matilda Blakemore. Frankie literally would not be Frankie without Matilda.

  My agent, Sara Crowe, who always finds the best homes for my projects.

  My family who supports me every step of the way.

  And a very big, special thanks to my students and colleagues at Dyer Elementary in South Portland, Maine. You all inspire me every day!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  MEGAN FRAZER BLAKEMORE is an author for children and young adults. Her middle-grade novels include The Firefly Code; The Daybreak Bond ; The Friendship Riddle; The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill; and The Water Castle, which was named a Kirkus Best Children’s Book of 2013, a Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of 2014, and a Junior Library Guild Selection, and has been included on numerous state lists. A school librarian, Megan has a BA from Columbia University and an MLS from Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Megan is currently pursuing her doctorate in library science. She lives in Maine with her husband, two children, two cats, a leopard gecko, and (sometimes) a hive of bees.

  NADJA SARELL is an illustrator living in Helsinki, Finland. She graduated with an MA in Dance from Theatre Academy Helsinki and graduated from North Wales School of Art and Design with a BA in Illustration for Children’s Publishing in 2004. Since then she has worked as a freelance illustrator for children’s publishing in Finland and abroad. She loves to teach art, illustration, and dance for both children and adults.

  meganfrazer.com

  ALADDIN

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Megan-Frazer-Blakemore

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Nadja-Sarell

  ALSO BY

  MEGAN FRAZER BLAKEMORE

  Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin paperback edition June 2019

  Text copyright © 2019 by Megan Frazer Blakemore

  Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Nadja Sarell

  Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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  Series art directed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

  Interior designed by Tiara Iandiorio

  Cover illustration copyright © 2019 by Nadja Sarell

  The illustrations for this book were rendered in pencil line on paper and digital flat tones.

  Library of Congress Control Number 2018958109

  ISBN 978-1-5344-3047-1 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-3046-4 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-3048-8 (eBook)

 

 

 
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