Be a Genie in Six Easy Steps Read Online Free

years—or you, an idle idiot with a brain full of beetles?”
    But my heart’s desire isn’t to be a genie , thought Jess. It’s to go back to London.
    Then she stopped herself. She was believing in all this way too easily—as if she was just a kid again. Michael had to be right; this was all a clever trick. Wasn’t it?
    You can’t take the chance , whispered a voice at the back of her mind. She looked at the prissy little bookworm, so solid and real in this mysterious book. Say whatever it wants you to—what have you got to lose? If you were a genie, you could put your life back the way it was ….
    Michael nudged her. “Come on. The sooner we say it, the sooner nothing will happen and I can prove this is all just rubbish.”
    â€œI imagine you know a very great deal about rubbish, you young ruffian!” Skribble sniffed. “Now, come on, all together: To be a genie is my heart’s desire.”
    â€œTo be a genie is my heart’s desire,” they all chorused obediently.
    A shiver ran through the book and a spark of light jumped across its cover.
    â€œWhoa!” said Michael, looking spooked.
    â€œSplendid,” chortled Skribble. “ Now all you need do is tell the book you solemnly vow never to share its knowledge, to speak of its existence to others, or to use its great teachings unwisely.”
    Jason frowned. “But that’s what we were going to do in the first place!”
    Skribble seemed to be smirking. “You’d better get on with it, then, hadn’t you!”
    They looked at each other, shrugged, and then said: “We solemnly vow never to share your knowledge, to speak of your existence to others, or to use your great teachings unwisely.”
    Nothing happened. Not a single page of the book moved.
    â€œHmmm,” said Skribble, putting his head to one side and frowning.
    â€œWhat is it?” asked Jess.
    â€œThe book doesn’t appear to be convinced,” Skribble replied. He poked the book with his tail but still nothing happened. “You are going to have to try harder to make it believe that you mean what you say.”
    â€œIt’s hard to sound like we mean stuff when we have to use silly, old-fashioned words,” Milly complained.
    â€œWhat about if we say the vow in words we would use, then?” Jason suggested.
    â€œWould that work?” Jess asked Skribble.
    â€œFor goodness sake! Don’t you children ever think for yourselves?” the bookworm blustered. “You have brains! Use them!”
    Jess looked at him. “You don’t know, do you?”
    â€œHow dare you!” Skribble cried.
    â€œDon’t let’s argue,” said Milly. “I want to start doing some magic.” She turned to her brother. “Can you think of something to say, Michael?”
    Jess nodded. “Something that means the same but in our own words?”
    Michael looked at her suspiciously. “You really want to believe this magic genie stuff could actually be true, don’t you?”
    Jess’s cheeks reddened, but she met his gaze. “Don’t you?” she said quietly. “If you didn’t believe just a bit, you wouldn’t have seen Skribble at all.”
    Michael looked away. He thought for a moment and then pointed at The Genie Handbook . “Okay, book. Whatever. We mean what we said in the vow; we’re up for the challenge and we won’t tell anyone, not ever. So, come on, then—come on and make us genies!”
    At once, the book began to shake. Skribble squawked and wriggled back down into his hole as the next page turned over by itself and almost flattened him. Sparks and specks of multicolored lights danced around The Genie Handbook like fireflies. The strange, unknowable squiggles on the ancient paper began to twist and unravel into proper words….
    â€œIt believes us!” Milly gasped in excitement. “We’re about to