Messy Miranda by Jeff Szpirglas Page A

her.
    Ben scooped up her backpack and slung it over his shoulder. “Let me guess. Desk cleanup.”
    Miranda nodded slowly. She was close to tears.
    â€œYou missed recess again.”
    Miranda nodded. “I didn’t get to skip rope with Neela.”
    Ben put his arm around Miranda. “Here’s the good news. It’s Friday night, and we’re going to see Uncle Aldo.”
    That took the frown off Miranda’s face.
    Friday-night dinner with Uncle Aldo was the best!
    Uncle Aldo was the coolest uncle in the world. He was a real magician. He knew all sorts of card tricks. He could make a coin appear from behind your ear. He could even pull a rabbit out of a hat!
    One thing Uncle Aldo couldn’t do was cook. He was too busy making magic to worry about food.
    That was fine. It meant Friday night was also pizza night!
    Miranda, Ben and their parents showed up with two boxes of steaming-hot pizza. Uncle Aldo opened the door wearing a bright sparkly suit. He had a wild moustache and a few streaks of white in his hair. “Presto!” he said.
    â€œPresto, Uncle Aldo!” Ben said. Uncle Aldo never said hello .
    â€œDo I smell pizza?” asked Uncle Aldo.
    â€œWhat gives you that idea?” said Miranda’s dad, holding the pizza boxes.
    â€œMagic,” said Uncle Aldo, smiling.
    Miranda and her family stepped inside. Uncle Aldo lived in a small house in the city. The living room was cluttered with rabbit and bird cages. Uncle Aldo kept the animals for his act here. There were shelves full of magic books, wands and colored scarves tied together. It was the best house ever.
    Uncle Aldo bent down to give Miranda a hug. “How was your day?”

    Miranda shook her head. “I missed recess.”
    â€œAgain?”
    Miranda nodded.
    Uncle Aldo smiled. “I know what to do.” He reached behind her ear and pulled out a big shiny coin. “Presto! Magic will solve the problem!”
    Miranda’s mom shook her head. “Aldo, won’t pizza solve the problem instead?”
    Uncle Aldo’s stomach growled. “Good idea. Let’s eat.”
    He led the family into the kitchen. They all sat at the table and had dinner.
    As she ate her pizza, Miranda kept thinking about the mess in her desk. She wondered about what Uncle Aldo had said.
    Could magic solve the problem?
    There was one way to find out.

Chapter Three
    After dinner, Uncle Aldo wanted to show Miranda and her family his new trick.
    Ben’s eyes lit up. “When can you teach me? I want to show everybody at school,” he said. “I’d be the best at it.”
    Uncle Aldo smiled. “What do I always tell you? Magic isn’t a game,” he said. “You need to be careful. There’s a lot of power in magic tricks.”
    Uncle Aldo reached into his pocket. “Presto!” he shouted. He pulled out a huge bunch of flowers. He gave them to Miranda’s mom. “What do you think?”
    The flowers squirted water at Miranda’s mom.
    â€œOoops!” said Uncle Aldo.
    â€œOoops is right,” said Miranda’s mom. “You still need to practice.”
    Miranda pushed her chair away from the table. “I’ll be right back,” she said. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
    While Uncle Aldo practiced his new trick, Miranda left the kitchen and walked up the stairs. The bathroom was on the second floor. But so was Uncle Aldo’s magic room. Miranda didn’t really need to go to the bathroom. What she needed was magic.
    Miranda knew she shouldn’t go into Uncle Aldo’s magic room alone. It was his special place, where he kept his secrets. But Miranda needed to fix her messy-desk problem for good. Magic would do the trick!
    The stairs were creaky. She walked as quietly as she could. The floor just outside the magic room creaked so loudly that Miranda stopped. Her heart skipped a beat. She listened. Uncle Aldo was still doing his tricks