Free The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein

his friends because he’s ready to go treasure hunting. And you know what? So am I!”
    Billy ran out the door first.
    “I’m right behind you!” cried Walter.

Billy manned the oars, and fifteen minutes later they reached the island.
    Walter tied off their docking line with another messy shambles of a knot. Then the two boys toted their shovels up the mulched path, ready to strike it rich.
    “Let’s hope all those characters from yesterday are still asleep,” said Walter.
    “Well, you said it was a level-four spell. That ought to keep them conked out. Right?”
    Walter nodded. “Definitely. I think.”
    Billy held open the dome flap so Walter could step in ahead of him.
    “Walter?” said Billy.
    “Yeah?”
    Billy pointed at Walter’s butt. “What’s that?”
    “What’s what?”
    “The rectangle jammed down the back of your pants.”
    “Oh,” said Walter nervously. “Nothing. I just grabbed some fresh reading material.”
    “What?”
    “It’s a book from the bookcase.”
    Billy was confused. “But I brought
Tom Sawyer.
”
    “I know,” said Walter. “But seeing the Junior Wizard come to life was so cool I wanted to try it again.”
    “But …”
    “Don’t worry, Billy. I picked something totally safe.” Walter pulled out the book and showed it to Billy. “It’s called
Pollyanna: The Glad Book.
Judging from her picture, I don’t think this Pollyanna girl will be armed or dangerous like all those people yesterday.”
    On the cover of the new book, Billy saw a happy girl in a straw hat and pigtails toting a basket of flowers.
    “Fine,” said Billy. “Who knows? Maybe Pollyanna is a treasure hunter, too.”
    “I don’t think so,” said Walter, flipping through some pages. “So far, she’s mostly just ‘glad, glad, glad’ about
everything.
”
    “Well, listen to this,” said Billy as he riffled through the pages of
Tom Sawyer.
“It’s from Chapter Sixteen. They’re on a sandbar in the river and Tom says, ‘I bet there’s been pirates on this island before, boys. They’ve hid treasureshere somewhere. How’d you feel to light on a rotten chest full of gold and silver—hey?’ ”
    “I’d feel awesome!” said Walter.
    The two boys raced up the trail with their shovels but stopped in their tracks when they reached the gate.
    Paris was gone.
    So were Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Hercules, and all four of the musketeers.
    The cobblestone Parisian square was now a wide country lane lined with tall elm trees.
    Walter pulled his rubber-banded stack of trading cards out of his shorts, found the Junior Wizard, and started reading a grid of power stats on the back.
    “Oops,” he said. “Guess I’m not very good at playing Magical Battical, either.”
    “What?”
    “I forgot. Level-four spells only last one turn.”
    “How long is a turn?”
    “Depends. Usually about an hour.”
    Billy sighed and unlocked the gate. “Let’s go find ’em.”
    Walter propped the shovels up against one of the twin stone columns.
    The two friends headed up the shady country lane.
    But they didn’t walk very far.
    Because they saw something nailed to one of the elms lining the path.
    A WANTED poster—with Billy’s name on it.
    WANTED
DEAD OR ALIVE
    ROBIN HOOD
&
SIR WILLIAM OF GOAT,
HE WHO DIDST CAUSE ME TO BE CRIPPLED
    —THE SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM

“This isn’t good,” said Billy.
    He and Walter walked up the road a few more yards. The next elm tree had a WANTED poster nailed to it, too.
    And so did all the other elms lining both sides of the road.
    “Excuse me,” cried a happy voice, “but why do you two boys look so glum? Especially since today is such a bright and cheery day!”
    “No, it’s not,” said Billy.
    “Well, you can make it better! Just play the glad game!”
    “Woo-hoo!” said Walter with an excited arm pump. “I did it again! That’s her! That’s Pollyanna.”
    The girl smiling at Billy and Walter was maybe eleven years old with lots of freckles, two blond pigtails,