Read Online A Whirlwind Vacation by Nancy Krulik - Free Book Online Page B

her head. She didn’t want to think about it.
    Instead, she forced herself to think of a way she could fix this mess. She had been lost before, with her parents. There was that time they’d driven to the Grand Canyon. Her father had refused to stop and ask for directions. But her mother had insisted. So they’d stopped at a coffee shop to ask for help. While her mother found out how to get to the highway, Katie had ordered a milkshake. They’d gotten to the Grand Canyon just fine.
    That was it! Katie would stop somewhere and ask for directions back to the hotel.
    But it wasn’t that easy here. She was in Italy, not America. And Katie didn’t speak Italian. She could never understand the directions.
    Tears began to form in Katie’s eyes. They were never getting back to the hotel. They would be floating around Venice forever and ever. She would never see Pepper or her parents again!
    Just then, the gondola floated by a small pastry shop. A sign in the window caught Katie’s eye. It said:
    English spoken here.
    Phew! Talk about luck.
    â€œWe’ll go back to the hotel,” Katie assured the Bridgemans. “But first, we’ll stop for delicious Italian pastry. Venice is famous for its sweets!”
    Quickly, she steered the gondola up to dock outside the shop.

    As Annabelle and her parents ate their sweet, creamy cakes, Katie went to speak to the owner of the pastry shop. At first, the woman behind the counter didn’t believe Katie’s story.
    â€œWhat do you mean, you’re a gondolier and you’re lost?” she asked. “Gondoliers know this city better than anyone.”
    â€œI’m not really a gondolier,” Katie whispered.
    The woman looked at Katie’s red-and-white striped shirt. “You’re not?” she asked.
    â€œWell, I ... um ... the thing is ... it’s my first trip,” Katie stammered. “My father is giving me a test. I’m not doing very well.”
    The woman nodded. “I understand that. The first time my father let me make the cream puffs, I left the cream out too long. Cream puffs don’t taste very good when the cream is spoiled.” She smiled kindly at Katie. “I’ll help you.”
    Katie gave the woman the name and address of her hotel. The woman drew her a map, showing which canals would lead her back home.
    â€œThank you,” Katie told her.
    â€œYou’re welcome,” the woman replied. “You’re going to be a very good gondolier someday. Your English is perfect. You sound almost like an American.”
    Katie grinned. If she only knew.

    After the gondola pushed off from the pastry shop, Katie followed the map. She pushed the big boat around turns and curves, moving through several small canals, before reaching the wide Grand Canal.
    Several other gondolas came into view. They would be back at the hotel soon. Happily, Katie began to hum a familiar song under her breath.
    â€œI know that one!” Annabelle shouted out. “That’s by the Bayside Boys. How do you know about them?”
    Oops. Katie had forgotten she was supposed to be an Italian teenager instead of an American fourth-grader. “Um, we have a lot of American music here,” she said quickly. “The tourists bring their CDs.”
    â€œHey, your English is getting pretty good,” Annabelle remarked. “You sounded almost like one of us that time.”
    Oops.
    â€œDo you know this song?” Annabelle continued. She began to sing another Bayside Boys tune.
    Katie and Annabelle kept on singing all the way back to the hotel. When they reached the dock, Katie pulled the boat between two of the red-and-white striped poles. Then she expertly hopped out and helped Mr. and Mrs. Bridgeman to shore. Annabelle climbed out by herself.
    Katie smiled broadly. She’d brought everyone back safe and sound. Everything had turned out just fine.
    Or ... maybe not! At that moment, Vincenzo’s