AWESOME MAGIC TRICK NUMBER ONE (FROM CHAPTER THREE)
STUFF YOU’LL NEED (ALWAYS CHEAP, AND ALMOST ALWAYS AVAILABLE):
Nine (or any number of) identical note cards
A pen or pencil
SUPER-SECRET INSTRUCTIONS:
1. On one side of each note card, write the name of a different Marvel character (or something else fun, like a favorite ice cream flavor. Or—if you have to—something un-fun, like a Disney princess). Nine’s a good number, but you can use any number you like. Be sure you can’t see the writing through the paper!
2. Put the tiniest dot you can on the blank side of the card you want “chosen” last. It should be so tiny that no one will notice… except you.
3. Tell your friend (or annoying sibling) what to expect when the last card is revealed. (I told Freddy it would be Captain America. Spoiler alert: it was.)
4. Let your friend choose any two cards, but be sure you turn them over. If neither has the dot, turn over either one. (You can even let your friend do it whenever there’s no dot on either.) If one does have the dot, turn over the other. To be magnificent like Magnus, move the cards after each selection and/or shuffle whichever two are picked. The faster you do it, the more magnificent the trick will be!
5. When only two cards are left, turn over the one without the dot. Then let your friend turn over the last one. Abracadabra! Pretty awesome, right?
AWESOME MAGIC TRICK NUMBER TWO (FROM CHAPTER TEN)
STUFF YOU’LL NEED (ALWAYS CHEAP, AND ALMOST ALWAYS AVAILABLE):
A jacket or a napkin (preferably cloth, not paper)
Sugar packets
A quarter (preferably someone else’s)
A permanent marker
SUPER-SECRET INSTRUCTIONS:
*Note: This trick is kind of “tricky.” You need skill, sleight of hand, patience, and practice. But if you can pull it off, it’s worth the work—your friend will be amazed for sure.
1. To start with, put a napkin or jacket across your lap. It’s best if no one notices. Have your friend choose a sugar packet and then mark the quarter with his or her initial—or a smiley face or whatever—using the permanent marker. Put the coin and the packet side by side on the table.
2. Drop the sugar packet into your open hand. Then pretend to drop the quarter in after it. What you really do is sweep the coin off the table and into your lap (which is covered with the napkin, so the coin won’t fall to the ground. Get it?).
3. As soon as you “drop” the coin into your hand, close it immediately! Your friend will assume the coin is with the packet.
4. Have your friend squeeze the hand that you have the sugar packet and (supposedly) coin in to “combine” both of these items. While they’re squeezing your hand, pick up the coin from your lap with your other hand (hold it with your thumb and index finger, making sure to keep it hidden). Bring your hand back and let it rest on the table.
5. Tell them to let go of your hand; open it and put the packet on the table. Make a big production out of shaking the packet. Tell them the coin is inside.
6. Put the packet into the hand holding the coin. When you tear it open, the coin is under the packet. As you start to pour the sugar into your friend’s hand, let the coin drop at the same time so it looks like it’s falling out of the packet along with the sugar. How sweet is that?
AWESOME MAGIC TRICK NUMBER THREE (FROM CHAPTER SEVENTEEN)
STUFF YOU’LL NEED (ALWAYS CHEAP, AND ALMOST ALWAYS AVAILABLE):
A deck of cards
You’ll also need an assistant for this one who knows how the trick works, so plan ahead!
SUPER-SECRET INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Put ten cards on the table, faceup, including the number ten. You can use any number you like, but bigger is better—more cards for you, and your guest, to choose from.
2. Here’s the important part: whatever number you choose, always include a card that’s the same number. Like, if you use nine cards, be sure one of them is a nine. Get it? Otherwise, this trick will not be awesome.
3. Here’s the other important part: put the cards down in the same pattern as the symbols on the ten card.
4. Have your friend/parent/teacher choose a card and whisper it to your partner.
5. Your partner points to one card at a time. The secret is to use the ten card to show you which card it is. If your partner doesn’t point to the ten card right away (and they won’t always), it’s not the right one.
6. Once they do point to the ten card, they need to be very careful and point to the location of the right card by putting a finger where the card is in the ten pattern. That’s how your partner shows you the right card! Get it? How cool is that?
AWESOME MAGIC TRICK NUMBER FOUR (ALSO FROM CHAPTER SEVENTEEN)
STUFF YOU’LL NEED (ALWAYS CHEAP, AND ALMOST ALWAYS AVAILABLE):
Crayons
SUPER-SECRET INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Show your friend, grandparent, or (occasionally, but not always) annoying sibling some crayons. Let them choose one.
2. While your back is turned, have them place it in your right hand (if you’re a lefty, like me) or your left, if you’re right-handed.
3. Turn around but keep your hands behind your back long enough to scrape a tiny bit of crayon with the thumb that isn’t holding the crayon.
4. Bring whichever hand has the crayon mark in front of your body and take a quick peek at it so you can see the color wax you’ve scraped off from the crayon. But you should look like you’re thinking really hard (I find it helpful to channel Freddy) to figure out the color. Feel free to go on about limes and grass if it’s green, or school buses and bananas if it’s yellow—you get the idea. This one’s awesome and easy. If little brothers can do it, so can you!
AWESOME MAGIC TRICK NUMBER FIVE (FROM CHAPTER THIRTY)
STUFF YOU’LL NEED (ALWAYS CHEAP, AND ALMOST ALWAYS AVAILABLE):
A deck of cards
SUPER-SECRET INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Have someone pick a card from the deck and show it to their friends.
2. As they are showing the card around, flip the bottom card of the deck, then turn the deck upside down.
3. Show them the deck faceup. (The flipped card makes it look like the deck is still facedown.)
4. Have them put their card in anywhere, facedown. Be sure to hold the cards tightly so they don’t fan out and give the trick away!
5. Thumb through the deck until you find their card. (It will be the only other one facedown, since the rest are faceup.) This one’s so easy that even annoying brothers can do it—but it’s still awesome.
So many people have helped me on my path to publication that it’s hard to know where to start. So I’ll start at the beginning. My parents, Freeda and Martin Wender, loved, supported, and believed in me so unquestioningly, I had no choice but to believe, too. Thanks also to my brother, Charles, for being there for me, and for all things Jake-related.
Two other people believed in me, too; without them, this book would not be in your hands. My amazing and awesome agent, Liza Fleissig, whose passion, and compassion, are without equal; and my incredible and incomparable editor, Julie Matysik, who championed this book, and whose guidance, care, and meticulous editing made our collaboration a joy and a privilege. I am beyond grateful to them both, as well as the Running Press Kids team: project editor Michael Clark, copy editor Susan Hom, marketing and publicity manager Valerie Howlett, junior designer Christopher Eads, illustrator Erwin Madrid, and publisher Kristin Kiser.
I wouldn’t be here without the help and support of my long-running critique group family, past and present, especially Betty May, Cecily Nabors, Diana Belchase, Lesley Moore Vossen, Liz Sues, Miriam Chernick, Penny March, and Sarah Swan. Their feedback, and friendship, is invaluable.
I am so fortunate to have three more extraordinary writers in my life and in my corner: Marissa Moss, Laura Shovan, and my Pitch Wars mentor, Veronica Bartles. They all helped me navigate uncharted territory with never-ending patie
nce and overwhelming generosity.
I want to thank Esther Hershenhorn, whose gentle suggestions pointed me in the right direction early on, and whose enthusiasm and kindness have continued right up to the end. And I want to give (at least) three cheers for the one and only Brenda Drake, who created Pitch Wars and all its awesomeness. Thank you, Brenda, for the endless opportunities Pitch Wars creates for so many writers. We owe you a tremendous debt.
Anyone who knows anything about children’s book writers and illustrators knows that these acknowledgments would be incomplete without paying tribute to Lin Oliver, Stephen Mooser, and everyone else who puts their time, energy, and love into the phenomenal organization known as SCBWI. Your impact is immeasurable.
Thanks to Linda, John, and Todd Culbertson, for their involvement in Jake’s life and their continuing friendship. I hereby nominate all three of them for sainthood. Special thanks to Pam and Kristina Ackley, for their boundless devotion to Jake and their integral part, and continuing involvement, in Jake’s Garden. It gives me great pleasure and pride to know that, because of her time with Jake, Kristina has dedicated her life to helping children with special needs.
I have to thank Rosa Hsiung, my long-suffering best friend, cheerleader, and confidante. After all these years, she deserves her own paragraph. I owe her more than I can express in one sentence (plus an infinite supply of hot beverages).
I want to thank Lee Milliner for being the best husband, and dad, I could hope for. And I give my deepest thanks to Jake’s big brothers, Jeremy and Jesse. Jeremy’s humor and creativity, and Jesse’s unconditional love and playfulness, made Jake’s life a very happy one.
I should also thank Jeremy for coming up with at least two of my favorite lines, which have beaten the odds and made it to the final draft! And an extra heaping of love and gratitude to Jesse for his tireless efforts and unwavering faith, both in this book and in me. Words are not enough.
Last and most of all, I thank Jake for his sweetness and his fighting spirit. He inspires me still to keep trying no matter what, and to never give up. That, more than anything, is why this book is here.
I love you, Jake.
A TRIBUTE TO JAKE: ONE BROTHER TO ANOTHER
On May 6, 2007, Jake’s family and friends gathered together to celebrate the opening of Jake’s Garden, then housed at our local library. We chose to incorporate two themes in his garden. The first was Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. This was Jake’s favorite book, and his brother Jesse read it to him often. The other theme was butterflies, because Jake was so like a butterfly—beautiful and ephemeral. Both of these themes were represented by mosaics created by Jake’s babysitter, Kristina Ackley (Tina in the book), and her mother, Pamela Ackley.
The dedication was filled with music and laughter and tears—and a very special butterfly release. Poetry was read, memories were shared, and speeches were given.
My favorite speech of all was written and delivered by my oldest son—and Jake’s brother—Jeremy, who was sixteen at the time. He said it was “okay” for me to share it with you:
“Since Jake was born, he was called a ‘fighter’… whether it was against waking up in time for a therapy session or refusing to choke down the dreaded Poly-Vi-Sol. But most of the time, Jake’s considered a fighter because he rose above his disability; because he overcame the obstacles that were stacked against him.
“This is no doubt true, but let me tell you a lesser-known account of Jake’s fighting ability. Jake wasn’t exactly legendary for his wrestling skills—but he should have been. We wrestled on the sofa, and he won every time: weight and drool can be a deadly combination.
“One of the synonyms for fighter is champion. And if that’s not Jake, nothing is.”
Super Jake and the King of Chaos Page 17
