Stars of the Show

by Stephanie Calmenson

  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 Ella, Max, and Luke

  Cast of Characters

  Allie Anderson: Amy Cooper’s best friend

  Amy Cooper: Allie Anderson’s best friend

  Gracie Barnes: Bouncy, bubbly, joke-telling friend of Allie and Amy

  Marvin Lopez: Dave Wang’s buddy

  Dave Wang: Marvin Lopez’s buddy

  Jasmine Hayes: Works at The Candy Basket

  Dr. Henry Bogwell: A kind and wacky doctor

  Madame Lulu: Fortune-teller who is really Mrs. Suzie Tompkins, a neighbor in Allie’s building

  Goldie: Amy’s goldfish

  1 Front-Page News!

  Ring! Ring! The phone rang at Allie Anderson’s house. Allie raced to get it.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Want to go to the playground?” asked a voice at the other end.

  The voice belonged to Amy Cooper. Allie and Amy were best friends. When they weren’t together, they were talking on the phone.

  “I need five minutes to get ready and one to get downstairs,” said Allie.

  “See you in six!” said Amy.

  Allie and Amy lived in apartment buildings next door to each other. They each lived on the sixth floor.

  Five minutes later, they each got into their elevators and pressed the first-floor button. They watched the numbers light up. Six, five, four, three, two, one!

  The girls burst out of their buildings at the exact same time.

  “We’re amazing!” said Amy.

  “You can say that again,” said Allie.

  “We’re amazing!” said Amy.

  “Very funny,” said Allie. “I’ll race you to the playground.”

  It was a nose-to-nose tie all the way. When they got there, they came to a screeching stop. The playground was shut tight, with a big lock on the gate. A sign said:

  “Closed?” said Allie. “What are we supposed to do without a playground?”

  “It’s too horrible even to think about!” said Amy.

  “Come on,” said Allie. “We might as well go home.”

  The girls did an about-face. On the way back, they passed a newsstand and saw a copy of the Peabody Daily.

  “Look! Front-page news!” said Allie.

  The headline read:

  The girls stopped to read all about it.

  The report in the paper said the town needed new playground equipment, and there’d be a street fair over the weekend to raise money.

  “That means games and rides and food!” said Allie.

  “We can have a booth,” said Amy.

  “Let’s do something new and different,” said Allie.

  “I know!” said Amy. “We could have a storytelling booth. We’ll be good at that.”

  Just then bouncy, bubbly Gracie came along. Gracie always made the girls laugh.

  “Hi!” Gracie said. “Did you hear about the fair? We should have a joke-telling booth. I already have a great joke. What did the Ferris wheel say to the carousel?”

  “We give up,” said Amy.

  “See you around… and around… and around!” said Gracie.

  The girls rolled their eyes around… and around… and around.

  “We were thinking about having a storytelling booth,” said Allie.

  “Ooh, that’s a good one,” said Gracie. “It can be an Instant-Story Booth.”

  “Cool,” said Amy. “Whoever buys a ticket will tell us three facts about themselves. Then we’ll make up a fabulous story on the spot.”

  “Let’s try it,” said Allie. “Fact number one—”

  Whoosh! Before she could finish, she was almost knocked off her feet.

  “MARVIN!!!

  “Why don’t you watch where you’re going!” called Allie.

  “Why don’t you watch where you’re standing!” Marvin answered.

  Marvin could be a lot of fun, but he could also be pretty obnoxious.

  Whoosh! Something missed Amy’s toes by a nose.

  “DAVE!!!”

  yelled Amy.

  Dave had just moved into the neighborhood and was already best buddies with Marvin. Dave came in a close second in the obnoxious department.

  “You’re blocking traffic,” said Dave. “You could get a ticket for that.”

  “Speaking of tickets,” said Allie, “we’ll be selling them at our booth.”

  “What? The goofy-girls booth?” asked Marvin.

  “That’s so funny, I forgot to laugh,” said Amy. “For your information, we’re having an Instant-Story Booth.”

  “That’s so boring, I forgot to wake up,” said Dave.

  “We’re giving skateboard lessons at our booth,” said Marvin.

  “Oh really? Then we’d better have a Band-Aid Booth,” said Allie.

  “Just for that, we’re going to charge you double,” said Marvin.

  “We wouldn’t go to your booth even for free,” said Amy.

  “Come on,” said Allie. “We don’t have time to waste. We have places to go!”

  “Things to do!” said Amy.

  “People to see!” said Gracie.

  The three girls linked arms, put their noses in the air, and stomped off.

  The truth was, they had no idea where they were going.

  2 Gooby Goobs

  As they were passing The Candy Basket, they saw Jasmine, who worked at the shop, juggling six rolls of Life Savers.

  The girls poked their heads in.

  “Hi, Jasmine,” said Allie. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m practicing my act for the talent show at the street fair,” Jasmine said.

  “A talent show? I didn’t know about that!” said Gracie. “I can be a stand-up comic. I’d better go write some jokes. See you later.”

  “What should we do in the show?” Amy asked Allie after Gracie had left.

  Allie didn’t answer. She was in the middle of a yawn.

  “We could tap-dance,” said Amy.

  “No tapping now,” said Allie. “My head hurts.”

  “Let’s get some candy. Maybe that will make you feel better,” Amy said.

  They each got a bag of Gooby Goobs and ate as they walked.

  “If you don’t want to tap-dance, we can sing. We’ll do a duet,” said Amy. She started to make up a song.

  “We sing, we dance.

  We jump, we spin!

  Watch us now as we begin.

  I’m Amy!…”

  “Come on,” said Amy. “You have to sing ‘I’m Allie.’ ”

  “I’m not singing,” said Allie. “I told you, my head hurts.”

  “You’re being such a grump,” said Amy, popping a handful of Gooby Goobs into her mouth. “Mmm, these are so good.”

  Allie put a Gooby Goob into her mouth, then spit it out.

  “Phooey! That’s gross. I hate blue ones,” she said.

  “You never hated blue Gooby Goobs before,” said Amy.

  “Well, I hate them now,” said Allie. “If you like them so much, you eat them.”

  She handed Amy the bag, then spun on her heel and disappeared down the street.

  I
wonder what’s the matter with Allie, thought Amy, chomping on a Gooby Goob. This blue one tastes perfectly good to me.

  3 Dr. Bogwell

  Allie trudged through her door. Her father took one look at her and asked, “Do you feel okay?”

  Allie’s mother felt her forehead.

  “My goodness! You have a fever. You’re going right to bed,” she said.

  While Allie’s mother tucked her in, her father called Dr. Bogwell.

  Dr. Bogwell was known for making house calls with a smile.

  “Laughter’s the best medicine,” he told his patients.

  In no time, Dr. Bogwell arrived and rushed into Allie’s room.

  “Aha! Here’s my patient! Now, where did I put my tongue depressor?” he said.

  He reached into his bag and pulled out a teacup.

  “No, that’s not it,” he muttered. He pulled out a rubber chicken. “No, that’s not it,” he said. Finally he found what he was looking for.

  “Please stick out your tongue and say ‘ahh,’ ” said Dr. Bogwell. He held the tongue depressor out to Allie’s father.

  “Oops! Wrong patient,” said Dr. Bogwell.

  He turned to Allie. Allie stuck out her tongue.

  “Blahhh!” she said grumpily.

  “Hmm. Let me check your ears,” said Dr. Bogwell. “Where’s my flashlight?”

  He reached into his bag again. He pulled out a tuna sandwich.

  “Nope, that’s my lunch,” he said. He pulled out a deck of cards. “Guess not,” he said. Finally Allie heard him say, “Ah yes, here it is.”

  He shined the light into Allie’s ear.

  “Amazing! I can see all the way through to the other side,” said Dr. Bogwell.

  Allie just groaned. She felt too sick to laugh.

  Dr. Bogwell stuck a thermometer into Allie’s mouth, then asked, “How are you feeling?”

  Allie tried to talk with the thermometer in her mouth.

  “Murgle, shmurgle, murgurh,” she said.

  “Oh my. This is more serious than I thought. She can’t even talk,” said Dr. Bogwell, pulling out the thermometer.

  “What’s she got, Doctor?” asked Allie’s father nervously.

  “She’s got a blue tongue, and her temperature’s red hot,” said Dr. Bogwell.

  “A blue tongue?” said Allie’s father.

  “I ate a blue candy,” said Allie. “It was horrible.”

  “What can we do for her?” asked Allie’s mother.

  “I’ll give you something to get the fever down. Then she must have one full week of bed rest,” said the doctor.

  “One week? No way! I’ll miss the street fair!” cried Allie.

  That took every bit of strength she had left.

  She woke an hour later. Dr. Bogwell was gone, and she could hear her father talking on the phone.

  “I’m sorry, Amy,” he said. “Allie’s asleep.”

  “I’m up,” said Allie weakly. “Please let me talk.”

  Allie’s father handed her the phone.

  “Hi, Amy. I’m sick,” said Allie.

  “So that’s why you were grumpy,” said Amy.

  “I have to stay in bed a whole week,” said Allie. “I can’t even go to the fair.”

  “Oh no! What about our booth? What about our song?” said Amy.

  “You can do the booth with Gracie and sing the song by yourself,” said Allie.

  “I can’t sing in front of the whole town by myself! I’m too scared,” said Amy.

  There was silence at the other end of the line.

  “Allie, did you hear me?” asked Amy. “Allie? Allie?”

  Allie’s mother came on the line. “Allie fell asleep, Amy,” she whispered. “She’ll have to talk to you later.”

  As soon as Amy hung up the phone, she felt lost. She was salt without pepper. She was a bat without a ball. She was Amy without Allie! What was she going to do? Then Amy had an idea.

  4 Fortune Seekers

  Amy went straight to Madame Lulu’s Fortune-Telling Parlor. It was pink and yellow outside but dark and spooky inside. It was always a little scary going in. Amy stood frozen to the spot. She tried to remind herself that Madame Lulu was really Allie’s nice neighbor Mrs. Tompkins. That helped.

  “Are you there, Madame Lulu? I need you,” called Amy from out front.

  “Enter, fortune seeker,” said Madame Lulu in her husky voice.

  Amy inched her way inside and was soon sitting face-to-face with Madame Lulu.

  Madame Lulu wore a black veil on her head. She had about twenty bracelets on each arm. The bracelets clinked whenever she moved.

  Madame Lulu held out her hand. Clink!

  Amy put a coin into Madame Lulu’s palm. Madame Lulu dropped it into her pocket. Clink!

  “Where’s Allie today?” asked Madame Lulu.

  “She’s home sick,” said Amy.

  “I’m very sorry to hear that,” said Madame Lulu. She gazed into her crystal ball. “It says she’ll get better soon. Thank goodness.”

  “But she has to stay in bed all week,” said Amy. “And we were supposed to do a duet at the talent show.”

  “I guess you’ll be doing a solo now,” said Madame Lulu, grinning.

  “It’s not a joke,” said Amy. “Without Allie, anything could happen. I might get a frog in my throat!”

  “Let me check my crystal ball,” said Madame Lulu.

  She pressed her face up close and squinted into the glass.

  “I see words. But I can’t read them. They’re too fuzzy,” said Madame Lulu, holding out her palm. Clink!

  Amy handed Madame Lulu another coin.

  “Ah, much better!” said Madame Lulu, going into a trance. “The crystal ball is puzzled. Do you often get a frog in your throat?

  “Well, no,” said Amy.

  “I heard you gave a great report at school last month,” said Madame Lulu.

  “That’s right,” said Amy.

  “And you did it by yourself in front of your whole class?” said Madame Lulu.

  “Yes. I did pretty well, too,” said Amy proudly.

  “Then I’m sure you’ll do fine at the talent show,” said Madame Lulu. “Wait! Hold everything! The crystal ball is interrupting us for an important message.”

  Madame Lulu peered into the ball again.

  “It says: ‘The show must go on!’ ” she said.

  “You’re right!” said Amy. “We need money for the playground. Thank you, Madame Lulu! Thank you!”

  5 Listen to This

  As soon as Amy got outside, she called Allie.

  “Hi, Allie! I just saw Madame Lulu. She said I’ll do fine singing a solo. Now all we need to do is finish writing our song,” said Amy. Amy heard Allie’s mother talking in the background.

  “Finish your soup, dear,” she said. “Then you can talk.”

  The next thing Amy heard was Allie slurping. She held the phone away from her ear. The phone knocked right into—

  “MARVIN!!!” cried Amy.

  Marvin wobbled wildly on his skateboard.

  Dave caught him before he fell.

  “Don’t tell me you’re all alone,” said Marvin. “Where’s Allie?”

  Allie had finished her soup. “I’m here!” she called.

  “You’re in the phone?” said Dave.

  “Yes. For your information, I’m home sick,” said Allie. “In fact, I do not have time to talk to goofy guys. I have important medical treatments to attend to.”

  “I’ll call you later so we can write the song,” said Amy, hanging up.

  “What song?” asked Marvin.

  “The one I’m singing in the talent show,” said Amy. “What are you doing?”

  “We’ve got a great comedy act,” said Marvin. “We’re doing our imitation of seasick gorillas.”

  Before Amy could stop them, Marvin and Dave started beating their chests and making disgusting sounds.

  “How’s that for talent?” asked Dave.

  �
�Talent? All I can say is, good luck at the show!” said Amy.

  She turned and went home. She tried calling Allie again, but her call went to voice mail. Amy left a message.

  “Call me later!” she said.

  She decided to work on the song herself. She went to her room, closed the door, and began to sing.

  “We sing, we dance.

  We jump, we spin!

  Watch us now as we begin.

  I’m Amy!…”

  Amy stopped. It was Allie’s turn to say, “I’m Allie.”

  Uh-oh. This song’s no good now, thought Amy. I’ll have to make up a new one that I can sing by myself.

  Amy thought and thought. Then she picked up a hairbrush and held it to her mouth like a microphone.

  She needed an audience.

  “Goldie!” she said to her goldfish. “Listen to this!”

  “Hello, my name is Amy,

  and I’m here all alone.

  We need money

  for our playground,

  so I’m singin’ on my own.”

  Goldie flipped her tail in her bowl. Amy smiled and went on singing.

  “We need brand-new swings

  and monkey rings.

  We need—”

  Ring! Ring!

  “We need a phone?” Amy asked Goldie. “No, wait. That’s my telephone.”

  Amy answered it.

  “Hi. Are you ready to write the song?” asked Allie.

  “Ready? I already finished it!” said Amy.

  “You did? Without me?” said Allie.

  “Yes! Want to hear it? Goldie loves it,” said Amy.

  Amy sang the song. With each new line, Allie felt more left out. Not one word of the song included her.

  “Nice song… for a fish,” mumbled Allie.

  “Huh? Don’t you like it?” said Amy.

  “I have to go now. I happen to be very sick and need my rest. Doctor’s orders,” said Allie, and she plunked down the phone.