Welcome to ALADDIN QUIX!
If you are looking for fast, fun-to-read stories with colorful characters, lots of kid-friendly humor, easy-to-follow action, entertaining story lines, and lively illustrations, then ALADDIN QUIX is for you!
But wait, there’s more!
If you’re also looking for stories with tables of contents; word lists; about-the-book questions; 64, 80, or 96 pages; short chapters; short paragraphs; and large fonts, then ALADDIN QUIX is definitely for you!
ALADDIN QUIX: The next step between ready to reads and longer, more challenging chapter books, for readers five to eight years old.
To each other
—S. C. and J. C.
Cast of Characters
Amy Cooper:
Allie Anderson’s best friend
Allie Anderson:
Amy Cooper’s best friend
Madame Lulu:
Fortune-teller who is really Mrs. Suzie Tompkins, a neighbor in Allie’s building
Marvin Lopez:
A boy who’s sometimes fun and sometimes annoying
1 Guess Who!
Ring! Ring! Early one morning, the telephone rang at Amy Cooper’s house. Amy’s mother answered it.
“It’s for you, Amy,” she called. “Guess who!”
Amy had no trouble guessing. She knew it was her best friend, Allie Anderson.
“Meet me downstairs!” said Allie. “We’ve got to talk.”
“Aren’t we talking now?” said Amy.
“We’ve got to talk face-to-face, nose-to-nose, eyeball-to-eyeball!” said Allie.
“I’m on my way!” said Amy.
Amy raced to the elevator in her apartment building. She lived on the sixth floor. She watched the floor numbers light up: six, five, four, three, two, one. “Hurry, hurry,” she said.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, she burst outside and ran to Allie’s building right next door.
Just like Amy, Allie lived on the sixth floor. Just like Amy, Allie watched the floor numbers light up: six, five, four, three, two, one.
“Ta-da!” she said, bursting out the door. “Are you ready for our first day of summer vacation? Remember, we’ve got big plans!”
“I remember and I’m ready,” said Amy. “Did you bring the list?”
“It’s right here,” said Allie, pulling a crumpled paper out of her pocket. She began to read.
THINGS TO DO THIS SUMMER
Get our fortunes told by Madame Lulu
Go to the Spring Street Fair
Skate and sing backward
Swim at the town pool
Make a new list of things to do
“Wow. We’re going to be busy,” said Amy.
“We’d better get started right away,” said Allie. “Madame Lulu, here we come!”
2 Madame Lulu
Allie and Amy went around the corner to Madame Lulu’s Fortune-Telling Parlor. It was pink and yellow outside, but dark and a little spooky inside.
Even though the girls knew that Madame Lulu was nice Mrs. Tompkins from the first floor of Allie’s building, they still got the shivers going inside.
“You go in first,” said Allie, taking a step back.
“No, you,” said Amy, taking two steps back.
“No, you,” said Allie, taking three steps back.
“Greetings, fortune seekers,” called a husky voice from the dark. “Why don’t you both come inside?”
Allie and Amy held hands and squeezed through the doorway together.
Madame Lulu sat behind a beaded curtain. She was dressed in black with a veil on her head. She had about twenty bracelets on each arm. They clinked together whenever she moved.
“What brings you here?” she asked. Clink!
“W-w-we want our fortunes told,” said Amy.
Amy and Allie each held out a coin to Madame Lulu.
Madame Lulu slipped the coins into her pocket. Clink!
“Can you tell us what the summer is going to be like?” asked Allie.
“Of course,” said Madame Lulu. She gazed into her crystal ball. “The summer will be hazy, hot, and humid,” she said. “In fact, it already is.”
Madame Lulu wiped the sweat off her forehead with a lace handkerchief. Clink!
Allie and Amy looked at each other.
“Thanks, but that’s not what we meant,” said Amy. “We don’t need to know about the weather. We need to know about us.”
She poked Allie, who put another coin on the table. Madame Lulu took the coin. Clink!
“Let me see your palms,” she said.
Allie and Amy turned their palms up and held them out.
“Hmm, nice and clean,” said Madame Lulu. “And do you moisturize?”
“Um, no, we don’t,” said Allie. “You’re going to tell our fortunes, right?”
“Absolutely! One best friends fortune coming right up,” said Madame Lulu. “I see an interesting story. Today is a special day. It’s… It’s coming to me now.”
Madame Lulu closed her eyes and held her fingers to her brow.
Going into a trance, she said, “Today is… the very first day… of your summer vacation!”
“Wow! How did she know that?” whispered Amy.
Madame Lulu continued. “You will take a trip to a special place. I see sun shining. I hear water splashing. I smell hot dogs cooking on an open fire.”
Suddenly Madame Lulu snapped out of her trance. “Did someone say ‘hot dogs’?” she asked.
“You did,” said Allie and Amy together.
Madame Lulu looked at her watch. “Ah, yes. It’s time for my coffee break,” she said.
Allie and Amy had no more coins anyway. They walked through the beaded curtain and out into the hazy, hot, and humid day.
Boom! They bumped right into a boy named…
“MARVIN!!!”
Amy yelled, “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?”
“Watch where I’m going?” said Marvin Lopez.
He checked his skateboard for scratches. “Watch where you’re going. You’re the ones who bumped into me!”
“Well, don’t do it again,” said Allie.
Allie, Amy, and Marvin could go round and round being silly all day long. But Allie and Amy had no time for that today.
They put their noses in the air, linked arms, and headed for home.
“See you later, alligator,” said Amy, going into her building.
“In a while, crocodile,” said Allie, going into hers.
3 Camp Merry Moose
Allie’s father and mother were waiting for her when she walked in the door.
“Hi, honey,” said her mother, with a big smile.
“We have wonderful news for you!” said her father.
“What is it?” asked Allie.
“Remember that camp you wanted to go to? The one we talked about last winter?” said her mother.
Allie perked up. “You mean Camp Merry Moose? Where they have sailboats and everything?” she said.
“That’s the one,” said Allie’s father.
“I thought there was no room for me. I thought it was all filled up,” said Allie.
“There was a last-minute opening. So now you can go!” said Allie’s mother. “Camp starts the day after tomorrow.”
Allie could hardly believe it. She had always wanted to go to sleepaway camp. Sunshine, swimming, campfires. Wow! This had to be the special place Madame Lulu was talking about. Allie was so happy, she wanted to tell Amy right away!
Ring! Ring! The telephone rang at Amy’s house. Amy’s father answered it.
“It’s for you, Amy,” he said. “Guess who!”
Amy had no trouble guessing.
“Hi, Allie,” she said. “I haven’t talked to you in five whole minutes. What’s new?”
“What’s new? Front-page news!” shouted Allie. “My parents just told me I’m going to Camp Merry Moose! I’m going for the whole summer! There’s a lake with boats, and everyone gets to sleep in a tent.”
Amy was so surprised, she didn’t say anything for a minute. Then she burst out, “You can’t go to camp. Not without me! We’re best friends. We have plans!”
“Oh my gosh, you’re right!” yelped Allie. “I was so excited, I forgot you weren’t going. I can’t go to camp without you!”
“That’s right,” said Amy. “You can’t. But maybe I can go too. I’ll ask my parents.”
“That won’t work. There was only one space, and my parents got it for me,” said Allie sadly. “But wait. I know what to do. I’ll call you back.”
Allie hung up and found her parents.
“I can’t go to camp,” she said. “I’m staying home with Amy.”
“Allie, you have to go,” said her mother. “We made all the arrangements.”
“But Amy and I do everything together,” said Allie.
“You and Amy can write to each other,” said her father.
“You’ll have a wonderful time at camp,” said her mother.
“No, I won’t,” said Allie. “Not without Amy I won’t.”
“Well, you have to give it a chance,” said her father. “You’re going, and that’s final.”
Allie walked slowly to her room. She sat down on her bed to think. A minute later, she popped up, raced to the phone, and dialed Amy’s number.
“Meet me downstairs. We’ve got to talk,” she said.
“Okay,” said Amy. “I’m on my way.”
Six, five, four, three, two, one. Allie and Amy burst out of their doors at the exact same moment.
4 Allie’s Plan
“I’ve got a plan,” said Allie. “It’s great. It’s the best. I’m a genius. You won’t believe it.…”
“Well, I can’t believe it if I don’t hear it,” said Amy. “What is it?”
Allie pulled a jump rope out of her back pocket.
“This!” she shouted.
“This looks like a jump rope to me, not a genius plan,” said Amy.
“But wait till you see what we do with it,” said Allie. She bent down and tied their ankles together. “Now I can’t go to camp. I have to stay here with you.”
“This is so wacky,” said Amy.
“This is so us,” said Allie. The girls began to walk with the jump rope tied around their ankles.
Step…
step…
step…
“It’s working,” said Amy. “This is fun!”
Step… step… step…
“See, I am a genius!” said Allie.
Step… step… step… Boom! Down they went.
“Ouch!” said Amy.
The two friends got up. They tried again. This time they went more carefully.
Step… inside feet. Step… outside feet. Step… inside feet. Step… outside feet.
“We’ve got it!” said Allie.
“Together!” said Amy.
“Forever!” said Allie.
They walked faster and faster. On their third trip around the block, they were really zooming. As they turned the corner, they bumped right into…
“MARVIN!!!”
yelled Allie and Amy. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?”
“Watch where I’m going? Watch where you’re going,” said Marvin.
Marvin bent down to pick up his skateboard. When he saw their ankles tied together, he started laughing.
“Hey, what’s goofy and has three legs?” he asked. He did not wait for an answer. “It’s you! You look like a three-legged kooky bird.”
“Oh, really? There’s no such thing as a kooky bird,” said Amy.
“Exactly,” said Marvin. “So, how come you’re tied together?”
“If you must know, Mr. Marvin Q. Smarty-Pants, being tied together is part of a genius plan to prevent our summer separation,” said Allie.
“Separation? No way,” said Marvin. “You two are glued together.”
“Yes way,” said Allie. “It’s too horrible even to think about.”
“It’s definitely too horrible to talk about,” said Amy. “We’re leaving!”
Allie and Amy put their noses in the air and stomped away. Inside feet. Outside feet. Inside feet. Outside feet.
“Bye-bye, kooky bird!” called Marvin.
The girls played together the rest of the afternoon, then headed home. When they got to their street, Amy’s mother called, “Amy! It’s time for supper!”
Amy took a step toward her building. Something was pulling her back. It was Allie. For a minute, Amy had forgotten all about being tied to her.
“I guess we have to eat together. What are you having for supper?” asked Amy.
“My mother’s making fish fry,” said Allie.
“Eewww! Smelly. I hate that!” said Amy. “Why don’t you come to my house?”
“What are you having?” asked Allie.
“I’m not too sure,” said Amy. “But I know it’s leftovers, and it’s green.”
“Eewww!” said Allie. “You know I don’t eat green!”
“Well, I’m hungry,” said Amy.
“Me too,” said Allie.
“Maybe this isn’t such a genius plan after all,” said Amy.
“Maybe you’re right,” said Allie. She sighed, then bent down and untied the jump rope.
Allie and Amy said good-bye and went into their buildings.
That night, both of them had trouble sleeping. In two days Allie was going to camp—without Amy!
5 Tick! Tick! Tick!
“Today is our last day together,” Amy said gloomily the next morning.
“That’s why we have to get busy,” said Allie.
“Doing what?” asked Amy.
“Everything! We have to do everything on our list!” Allie exclaimed, waving the list in the air.
“But we can’t do it all in one day,” said Amy.
“Yes, we can. We just have to move fast. We already visited Madame Lulu,” said Allie, crossing it off the list.
“The next thing is the Spring Street Fair,” said Amy.
“Are you ready?” said Allie.
“Ready!” said Amy.
“On your mark, get set, go!” cried Allie.
Amy and Allie raced around the corner to the fair. There was music playing, and the street was filled with games, rides, food to eat, and things to buy.
“This is great! Let’s get our faces painted! Let’s go on the Ferris wheel! Let’s win a windup fish!” said Amy.
“Okay, but we’d better set the alarms on our watches,” said Allie. “I have to pack for camp this afternoon.”
Amy and Allie set their watches. In half an hour their alarms would beep.
They went to the face-painting table first. A friendly lady with a rose on her cheek asked what they wanted.
“I want a puppy!” said Amy.
“I’ll get a kitten!” said Allie.
The lady painted their faces. Allie and Amy looked great together, and they had sixteen whole minutes left!
They raced to the Ferris wheel. Before long they were swinging in a basket way up high. They could look out over the whole fair.
“Hey, I see the fishbowl game,” said Amy.
When the Ferris wheel stopped, the friends had eight minutes left. They ran straight to the game booth. But there was a long line.
Tick, tick, tick. Three minutes went by. Tick, tick, tick. Three more minutes went by.
By the time the man behind the counter called “Next!” they had only two minutes left.
Allie and Amy walked up to the booth together.
“Four throws for fifty cents,” said the man.
Allie and Amy each gave the man a coin and each got two balls.
Amy went first. She knew she had to work fast. She tried not to look at her watch.
“Okay, ball, go into the bowl. Win me a windup fish!” she said.
Amy was trying to throw quickly. She threw the ball too hard. It went sailing across the street.
“Take it easy,” said the man.
“I’ll try,” said Amy. “But I’m in a hurry!”
She threw the second ball. The man ducked just in time.
“Let me try! It’s my turn,” said Allie. Her first ball landed way over in the Space Rocket ride. They watched the ball disappear into the Moon Tunnel.
“Hurry!” said Amy. “Our time is almost up.”
“I’m hurrying!” shouted Allie. She threw the last ball. It bounced off the wall of the booth and landed right on a cone of cotton candy—guess whose cotton candy?
“MARVIN!!!
Why don’t you watch where you’re walking?” shouted Allie and Amy together.
“Watch where I’m walking? Watch where you’re throwing!” yelled Marvin. He ran over to them.
Beep-beep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep.
“What’s all that beeping?” asked Marvin. “You two really are goofy.”
“No, we really are organized,” said Allie. “Those beeps were our watch alarms. That means we have to go now. Bye!”
She grabbed Amy’s arm and dragged her out of the fair.
6 Splash!
“Come on, Amy. We have to skate and sing backward. That’s next on the list,” said Allie as they headed home.
“What’s after that?” asked Amy.
“Swimming at the town pool,” said Allie. “We’d better hurry!”
Allie and Amy raced upstairs and came back down with skates on their feet and bathing suits under their clothes.
They headed for the pool, skating backward and singing to the tune of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Be can we silly how, see you can say, oh!”
The Best Friend Plan Page 1
