Hey Kid

Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge? - The Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka

Summary - The Time Warp Trio is staying home for once, Joe, Sam, and Fred are going to work on Sam's latest invention, and Joe's got the perfect way to keep The Book from getting lost. But when the guys find themselves stuck on top of the half-finished Brooklyn Bridge with no Statue of Liberty in sight, they realize that Joe's foolproof Book Tracker wasn't so foolproof after all. Now the guys have to make their way through 1877 Brooklyn and find The Book before they un-invent the lightbulb, the phonograph, and - oh, no!--baseball!

The beanball pitch floated slowly toward home. Edison caught Sam's pin/paper cone invention and stared at it. You could almost see a lightbulb go on over his head.

Excerpt from baseball game, Chapter 11 (aka how Edison discovered the phonograph in 1877)

"Guys, find us a needle," I said. "Sam, play The Book now."

Sam and J were way ahead of me. J pulled a long straight pin from the lady's hat in front of us. Sam was messing around with his empty paper cup. "I did this once with a record and an old record player," said Sam. "You need the paper cone to amplify the sound waves. Otherwise you'll never hear it."

Samza and Edison looked on, amazed.

Ugly Mug pounded the ball into his glove. Freddi took a half a practice swing and stepped up to the plate. I didn't know which was going to be worse-- Ugly Mug beaning Freddi, or Fred charging the mound to attack Ugly Mug for beaning Freddi.

Sam pushed the pin through the small end of the paper cone and dragged it across the groove in The Book. I heard a tiny voice come out of the paper cone. So did Sam. So did Samza. So did a completely amazed Thomas Alva Edison.

Ugly Mug rocked back on one leg. "That's it!' said Sam. He dragged the needle over the groove once more to be sure. Ugly Mug fired the ball right at Freddi with everything he had.

"Mary had a little lamb," shouted Sam.

The Book beeped and flashed a voice print pattern. Something popped. The whole baseball diamond suddenly tinted time-traveling mist green. Weirder still--everything clicked into slow motion.