A Whirlwind Vacation Read online

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Copyright Page

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  For my super-duper parents—N.K.

  For Barbara, world traveler—J&W

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.

  Penguin Group (Canada), 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2

  (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

  Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland

  (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)

  Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia

  (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)

  Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre,

  Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017, India

  Penguin Group (NZ), Cnr Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310,

  New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue,

  Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Text copyright © 2005 by Nancy Krulik. Illustrations copyright © 2005 by John and

  Wendy. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin

  Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET &

  DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. S.A.

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2004029313

  eISBN : 978-1-101-14193-9

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  Chapter 1

  “Oh, Mom, Dad, look at that beautiful building!” Katie Carew shouted as she rode through the streets of London, England, in a red double-decker bus. Katie thought the building they were riding past was the most amazing place she had ever seen. The huge red brick mansion was surrounded by big black and gold gates. There was a bright green lawn and beautiful gardens all around the building.

  “That’s Kensington Palace,” Vicki, a woman with hair almost as red as Katie‘s, explained. Vicki was a tour guide. It was her job to tell the people in Katie’s tour group all about the European cities they were visiting on their vacation.

  “Is that where the Queen lives?” Katie asked her.

  Vicki shook her head. “The Queen lives in Buckingham Palace. At least some of the time. She has several residences.”

  “Have you ever seen the Queen?” Katie asked.

  Vicki nodded. “But only from a distance during a parade.”

  “I saw the president once,” a girl with short, curly brown hair and big brown eyes piped up. She was sitting across the aisle from Katie and her parents. “When he came to Boston. Remember, Daddy?”

  “I do, Annabelle,” her father agreed. “But we only got a glimpse of his limousine.”

  The girl frowned. “Well, he was in the limo,” she insisted.

  “I think that’s very exciting, Annabelle,” Vicki said. She turned to Katie. “It looks like you girls are around the same age. I think you will be great mates on this journey.”

  Katie smiled at Annabelle. Even though Katie thought Annabelle seemed a little snobby, at least she was a kid. The rest of the group was all grown-ups.

  Katie looked around the bus. In the front were the Penderbottoms, an older couple who liked art museums and shopping.

  The Fishmans were on their honeymoon. They barely spoke to anyone else on the tour. And they kissed a lot.

  The Garcias and the McIntyres were two couples who went on vacation together every year. They were always taking pictures of one another in front of signs, statues, and buildings.

  Miss Cornblau and Miss Framingham liked to sit in the back of the bus. They were teachers. Katie really didn’t want to hang out with teachers. After all, she was on vacation.

  So that left Annabelle. She was on this trip with her parents, the Bridgemans.

  “So what do you think of London so far?” Katie asked Annabelle.

  “I love it. Especially the accents. We don’t talk like that in Boston,” Annabelle answered.

  “I think everything here is amazing,” Katie said. “The buildings are so beautiful and so old.”

  “Well, I’m kind of used to old buildings. We have a lot of them in Boston,” Annabelle boasted.

  “Yes, but they’re not this old,” Mrs. Bridgeman said. “Remember, Annabelle, there was a London long before there was a Boston.”

  “Did you grow up in London?” Katie asked Vicki. She wanted to talk about England, not Boston.

  The tour guide nodded. “I lived in London until I was eighteen. Then I moved around Europe a lot.”

  “You must speak quite a few languages,” Katie’s dad said.

  “Oh, yes,” Vicki replied. “I speak English, French, Spanish, and Italian. In fact, the only language I’ll have trouble with on this trip is American.”

  Katie giggled. She’d only been in London for one day, but already she had found that English people used different words than Americans. They called the bathroom the “loo.” They also called elevators “lifts.” Sweaters were called “jumpers,” and underpants were called “knickers.”

  “I’ve never been happy staying in one place for very long,” Vicki explained. “I like to go wherever the wind takes me.”

  Katie shuddered. That didn’t sound good to her. Katie didn’t like winds. Not at all.

  That was because Katie knew the wind could take you places you didn’t want to go. Or at least the magic wind could.

  The magic wind was a wild tornado that blew just around Katie. It was so powerful that every time it came, it turned her into somebody else! Katie never knew when the wind would arrive. But when it did, her whole world was turned upside down ... switcheroo!

  Katie’s adventures with the magic wind had started last year, when she was in third grade. She’d had a terrible day. First she’d lost the football game for her team. She’d gotten mud all over her favorite pants, and burped really loudly in front of the whole class. George Brennan started calling her Katie Kazoo, instead of Katie Carew. (Actually, now Katie kind of liked that name!)

  That night, Katie had wished she could be anyone other than herself. There must have been a shooting star overhead when she made that wish, because the very next day the magic wind came. It turned Katie into Speedy, the class hamster! Katie spent the whole morning going round and round on a hamster wheel!

  The magic wind came back again and again after that. Sometimes it changed Katie into other kids—like her best friends, Jeremy and Suzanne. Other times it turned her into
adults—like her school principal, Mr. Kane, or Louie, the man who owned the pizzeria in the Cherrydale Mall.

  One time the wind had even turned her into her own cocker spaniel, Pepper. She’d chased after a squirrel and ruined her neighbor’s garden. That was really bad since Katie’s next-door neighbor was also her third-grade teacher, Mrs. Derkman.

  Katie sure hoped that the magic wind hadn’t followed her all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. She didn’t want to be anyone else right now. She just wanted to stay Katie Kazoo and enjoy her super-duper European vacation!

  Chapter 2

  “Katie, do you remember when you were asking me about where the Queen lives?” Vicki said a while later.

  Katie nodded.

  “Well, we’re going to go to Buckingham Palace next!” Vicki told her.

  “Wow!” Katie exclaimed. “Do you think we’ll see her? I wonder what she’ll be wearing.”

  Vicki laughed. “I don’t think we’ll get to see the Queen today. But we will get a view of something very exciting. The Guard Mounting.”

  “What’s that?” Annabelle asked her.

  “Some people call it the changing of the guard,” Vicki explained. “It’s a ceremony in which the Queen’s guards change places as they take turns watching over the palace.”

  “Are there always guards outside the palace?” Annabelle asked. “Even if the Queen isn’t home?”

  Vicki nodded. “Always. It’s a very difficult job. The guards have to stand in one place for a very long time. They can’t laugh or smile, no matter what happens.”

  “I’ll bet my friend George could make the guards laugh,” Katie told Vicki. “He’s the funniest kid in the whole fourth grade.”

  “I’m one of the funniest kids in my grade,” Annabelle boasted.

  “Well, you girls can try to make them laugh,” Vicki told them. “But I don’t think you can do it. No one has before.”

  A little while later, the tour bus arrived near Buckingham Palace. Katie stared at the large white building in amazement. It was huge—nearly a whole block long. There were giant statues of people on horseback in front of the palace. And of course, the building was surrounded by a big black and gold gate, to protect the Queen and her family.

  “Wow!” Katie exclaimed. “Is the Queen there now?”

  “She is, indeed,” Vicki assured her.

  “How can you tell?” Mrs. Carew asked.

  “Look up on the roof,” Vicki said. “You see the royal banner? They only put that up when the Queen is staying there.”

  “So do you think she’ll come outside?” Katie was still hoping to see the Queen in person.

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” Annabelle said.

  The bus stopped. One by one the people on the tour got off. They followed Vicki around the corner to the front gates of the palace. Sure enough, there were the guards, in their red tunics, big furry black hats, and black pants.

  Almost immediately, the Garcias and the McIntyres began snapping pictures of one another. Mrs. Penderbottom ran off to buy some souvenir postcards. Miss Cornblau and Miss Framingham took notes, so they could tell their classes all about the changing of the guard. The Fishmans probably weren’t going to see a thing. They weren’t even looking at the palace. They were too busy staring at each other.

  There were tons of other tourists standing in front of the Palace. They were snapping pictures and speaking in different languages.

  Katie and Annabelle were in the middle of the crowd, near their parents. But Annabelle wanted a closer look.

  “Katie, let’s have a contest to see which of us can make that guard laugh first,” she suggested. Annabelle pointed to a tall man standing in a guard box.

  “Didn’t you hear Vicki?” Katie reminded her. “The guards aren’t allowed to laugh. They have to stand still.”

  “But Vicki also said we could try and make them laugh if we wanted to,” Annabelle noted. “So let’s do it. We can make funny faces or tell jokes.”

  “I don’t know,” Katie interrupted. “It’s kind of mean to try and make the guard laugh when he’s not supposed to.”

  “Well,” Annabelle said, “if you’re afraid to try ...”

  Katie scowled. Annabelle was daring her to have this contest. If Katie said no, Annabelle would think she was a chicken. And Katie was no chicken.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Katie said finally, pushing her way through the crowd and walking toward the guard. Annabelle followed close behind.

  “Katie, don’t go too far,” her father called out.

  “I’m just getting a better look,” Katie assured him.

  “Me too,” Annabelle told her parents.

  Finally, Katie and Annabelle reached the front of the crowd. Katie watched Annabelle stick her fingers just under her nose, and push her nostrils straight up. Then she stuck her tongue way out.

  Katie had to admit it was a pretty funny face. But the guard didn’t even seem to notice Annabelle.

  Now it was Katie’s turn. She thought for a minute. What was the funniest thing she could do? Hmmm ... Once George had taught Katie how to imitate a monkey. Now that was really funny!

  Katie shoved her tongue just under her top lip so it stuck out. Then she bent her arms and began scratching her armpit. “Ook ook,” she said as she jumped around like a monkey.

  The guard didn’t crack a smile.

  “That wasn’t funny enough,” Annabelle said.

  “You didn’t make him laugh, either,” Katie reminded Annabelle.

  “Maybe a joke will work,” Annabelle suggested. She turned to the guard. “Do you know what kind of umbrella the Queen of England carries on a rainy day?”

  The guard didn’t answer, so Annabelle just finished the joke. “A wet one!” she announced.

  Katie looked up at the guard’s face. He was staring straight ahead. “He’s not going to laugh,” she told Annabelle.

  “I guess not,” Annabelle agreed. She reached down and pulled a yellow cardboard camera from her pocketbook. “I’ll just take a few pictures.”

  “Where’d you get that?” Katie asked her.

  “At the newsstand when we stopped to see Big Ben,” Annabelle answered.

  Katie would have loved to take photos to show her grandma and her friends back home. But she hadn’t thought to buy a camera when they were at Big Ben.

  “Oh well. I guess I won’t be able to take any pictures today,” Katie sighed.

  “Why not?” Annabelle asked her. “There’s another newsstand right over there. A lot of the newsstands in London sell disposable cameras.”

  Katie ran to her parents. “Daddy,” she asked, “could I buy a camera over at that newsstand?”

  “I don’t see why not,” Mr. Carew said as he opened his wallet and pulled out a few of the multi-colored bills. “You have a few pounds here,” he said, handing her the British money. “Be sure to get the change.”

  “I will,” Katie assured him.

  “And hurry,” Vicki added. “They’re going to have the changing of the guard ceremony shortly.”

  Katie raced as quickly as she could to the newsstand on the corner. Unfortunately, when she got there, the stand was closed.

  Katie walked around the back of the stand. She was hoping to find the owner. Maybe he would open up his stand and sell her a camera. But there was no one around the back, either.

  She stood there, all alone behind the newsstand, and sighed. She wasn’t going to get a camera right now. Annabelle would probably never let her forget that.

  Just then, Katie felt a slight breeze on the back of her neck. She pulled her jacket a little tighter around her. But that didn’t help much. A little jean jacket was no match for the magic wind!

  Before Katie knew what was happening, the wind began blowing full force. It spun around Katie like a wild tornado. Katie bit her lip and tried not to cry. Her mind was racing. What if the magic wind blew her to another country or something? How would she ever find her way back to her parents?
r />   The wind swirled faster and harder. It seemed as though it would never stop.

  And then, suddenly, it did. Just like that.

  Switcheroo! Katie wasn’t Katie anymore.

  Chapter 3

  Katie squeezed her eyes shut. She was afraid to open them. All around her she could hear people laughing and talking. A few babies were crying and some little kids were whining.

  Where was she?

  There was only one way to find out. She slowly opened her eyes. Lots of eyes stared back at her. She recognized two sets of eyes—the ones belonging to her parents. They were staring at her from a crowd. But they had no idea who she was.

  Then again, neither did Katie.

  Slowly, she looked down. Instead of her red sneakers, Katie was wearing a pair of shiny black men’s shoes. As her eyes traveled up, she saw a pair of pants, and a red jacket.

  A bead of sweat formed on Katie’s head. The jacket was too heavy for this weather. The hat on her head wasn’t helping, either. She reached up and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

  “Hey! I think I saw that guard move!”

  Katie heard a familiar voice from the crowd. It was Annabelle’s. And she was pointing right at Katie.

  Oh, no! Now Katie knew why she was wearing such a heavy jacket and a hat. She’d turned into one of the Queen’s guards!

  Annabelle leaped out in front of the guard box. “I’ll bet I can make him laugh now,” she told her mother. She scrunched her lips and crossed her eyes.

  It was a pretty funny face. But Katie didn’t laugh. She didn’t want to get the real guard in trouble. She didn’t want to lose her bet with Annabelle, either.

  “Annabelle, that’s enough,” Mrs. Bridgeman said. “He’s not going to laugh. Let’s just watch.”

  Annabelle didn’t listen to her mother. Instead, she bent over and placed her hands on the ground. She rested her knees on her elbows, and then very, very slowly straightened her legs in the air.