For his birthday, Calvin’s mother gives him two tickets to see Lomax the Magnificent (magician and hypnotist extraordinaire!). Even though Mama hints that his little sister, Trudy, would love to go, Calvin doesn’t hesitate to invite his friend Rodney instead.
The boys return home greatly impressed by the magician’s performance. When Calvin’s mother goes out, she leaves him in charge of Trudy. It’s a job Calvin dislikes because his sister does not want to be left out of anything. So Calvin and Rodney include her—by making her the first subject for their own hypnotizing machine.
Much to the boys’ surprise, the machine works. But unfortunately they cannot undo what they have done. Trudy is stuck in her trance, convinced she is a dog—panting, drooling, and barking at squirrels. The only problem is, Calvin can’t remember Lomax’s magic word—Probuditi!—so Trudy won’t snap out of it!
The boys are worried and decide to take Trudy to the one man they know can solve their problem—but will Lomax help them? Mama is on her way home . . . Who will have the last laugh?
Masterful compositions display the depth, varied viewpoints, and marvelous mixture of patterns and surfaces that readers have come to expect.
School Library Journal, Starred
Classic Van Allsburg air, like something out of a dream...hinting at mysteries lurking behind the here and now.
The Washington Post
Magnificent sepia-toned art...works magic with people, place and predicament. A delicious tale about just desserts.
The San Francisco Chronicle
A Van Allsburg book is always worth waiting for.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Imagine how tempting it might be to be able to hypnotize your little sister.
The Chicago Tribune
A rare outing from Van Allsburg, featuring as smooth a case of payback as ever was.
Kirkus Reviews
The nostalgic...sepia-tone artwork is eye-catching...it will draw kids into the story with angled, theatrical images.
Booklist, ALA
Enough of a spooky edge to the hypnotic proceedings to make the plot...intriguing even before the final twist.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
The story of Probuditi!...[is] about the lure of magic.
Publishers Weekly
Van Allsburg works his magic.
Kansas City Star
Chris Van Allsburg, a master of surprise endings, wraps a captivating story in lush, warm full-page illustrations in pencil over pastels in burnt sienna that ooze the heat of a summer day in the early 1940s.
The Chicago Sun-Times
This story of magic and gullibility will keep readers guessing until the very end...sepia-tone drawings match the mid-20th century setting.
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