On Thin Ice Read Online Free Page A

calm Emma down. “I’m Emma Stavros,” she answered her. “I’m a skater. I want to be just like you!”
    Emma S. and Kerry chatted for a while about skating moves—at least that’s what Katie figured camels, lutzes, and toe loops were. Then Emma moved away from the line, clutching her autographed skating bag.
    Miriam was the next to talk to Kerry. “I just learned to skate backward. Emma taught me,” she said.
    Kerry turned her head and smiled at Emma S. “That was very kind of Emma,” she said.
    Emma S. heard and looked as if she was about to fly up in the air and do a triple spin. She was that proud and excited.
    “I am so glad you are beginning to ice skate,” Kerry said as she signed a page in Miriam’s autograph book. “Good luck.”
    And then it was Katie’s turn! Katie could feel her heart thump-thump-thumping as she walked up to the table. She didn’t know what to say. It was hard to talk to someone as famous as Kerry Gaffigan.
    “H-H-Hi!” Katie stammered. “I’m Katie. And these are for you.” She thrust forward the bouquet of red, red roses.
    Katie had expected Kerry to give her a big smile and thank her for the most beautiful roses she had ever seen. But . . .
    “Roses! No!” Kerry shouted, pushing away the bouquet and jumping up from the table. “Get those away!”
    “But . . . I . . .” Katie stammered, not quite sure what to do or say.
    “Oh, no!” Kerry exclaimed. “I’ve got rose pollen on me. I can feel the itching starting.” She began scratching at her arms. “My right eye is getting puffy. I have to take my contact lenses out right away!” She started to cough loudly. “Sorry, I have to go.”

    All the girls in line stared in horror as Kerry ran off.
    “How could you bring her roses?” a tall girl with glasses demanded. “ Everyone knows Kerry Gaffigan is allergic to roses.”
    Katie bit her lip. Not everyone .
    “Now we’ll never get to meet Kerry,” a small girl in a blue and white skating costume said. She burst into tears.
    “Thanks a lot,” a chubby girl in a green parka said sarcastically to Katie.
    Katie didn’t know what to do. She just knew she couldn’t stay here with everyone yelling at her. She turned and ran away.
    A few minutes later, Katie found herself all alone in a corner behind the ice rink. Katie was glad for that. She felt bad enough about making Kerry itchy and puffy without all the other kids blaming her for it. It was better to be here alone.
    Suddenly, Katie felt a cool breeze blowing on the back of her neck. At first she thought it was coming from the ice.
    But ice wasn’t windy. It was just cold.
    And ice didn’t spin around like a tornado, the way this wind was starting to do.
    Uh-oh! Katie gulped. This was no ordinary wind. This was the magic wind!
    The magic wind grew stronger, circling wildly around Katie like a fierce tornado. It picked up speed, blowing harder and harder. Whoosh! Katie was sure it would blow her away. She shut her eyes tight and tried not to cry.
    And then it stopped. Just like that. The magic wind was gone. And so was Katie Carew.
    She’d turned into somebody else. One, two, switcheroo!
    But who?

Chapter 9
    Katie struggled to open her eyes. That was weird. Usually her eyes would just fly open after the magic wind disappeared. But today they seemed kind of stuck and itchy.
    In fact, Katie was itchy everywhere. Her arms itched. Her face itched. Her teeth itched—and that wasn’t even possible!
    Katie looked down. Everything seemed really blurry. She could just about make out the shoes on her feet. They were not the brown and white boots she had been wearing. These shoes were white on the top and shiny on the bottom.
    Wait a minute. Those weren’t shoes. Those were skates !
    Yikes! Katie gulped nervously. If she was wearing skates, that could only mean one thing!
    The magic wind had turned her into one of the skaters in the show!
    “Kerry! Are you okay?” a tall man said, running over and helping Katie