View source for The Crystal Ball

{{infobox book
| name        = The Crystal Ball
| image       = BF_TheCrystalBall.png
| imagewidth  = 300px
| caption     = The [[BeForever]] cover of The Crystal Ball.
| published   = 2012
| author      = [[Jacqueline Dembar Greene]]
| illustrator = [[Sergio Giovine]] (first edition)<br>[[Juliana Kolesova]] (second edition)
| isbn        = 1593699492
| setting     = Summer, 1916<ref>Pg. 6: ''Rebecca was glad cousin Josef had moved in with her family for the summer.''</ref><ref>Pg. 35: ''Rebecca knew Josef and Uncle Jacob had been at odds ever since Josef dropped out of school.'' In [[Changes for Rebecca]], Jacob had suggested that Josef attend school after being fired from the factory where he worked. </ref>
| related     = [[List of Rebecca's Books|Rebecca's Series]]
| related2    = After the events of ''[[Secrets at Camp Nokomis]]''
}}
'''The Crystal Ball''' is a [[Historical Character Mysteries|Historical Character Mystery]] that is part of [[List of Rebecca's Books|Rebecca's books.]]

==Characters==

===From the [[Central Series]]===

* [[Rebecca Rubin]]
* [[Louis Rubin]]
* [[Vera Rubin]]
* [[Sadie and Sophie Rubin]]
* [[Victor Rubin]]
* [[Benny Rubin]]
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Bubbie Shereshevsky|Bubbie Shereshevsky]]
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Grandpa Shereshevsky|Grandpa Shereshevsky]]
* [[Josef Rubin]]
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Leonardo Rossi|Leonardo Rossi]]

===Introduced===
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Mr. and Mrs. Pomerantz|Mr. and Mrs. Pomerantz]]
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Dominic Silvestri|Dominic Silvestri]]
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Madame Verona|Madame Verona]]

==Chapter By Chapter Summary==

===Chapter One: Times Square Fair===

===Chapter Two: Houdini Happenings===

===Chapter Three: Magical Lights===

===Chapter Four: A Handful of Predictions===

===Chapter Five: Things Could Be Worse===

===Chapter Six: A Mysterious Message===

===Chapter Seven: Suspicions===

===Chapter Eight: A Puzzle in a Pawnshop===

===Chapter Nine: A Blind Alley===

===Chapter Ten: The Secret Chamber===

===Chapter Eleven: A Knotty Problem===

===Chapter Twelve: Fortunes Reversed===

===Glossary of Italian Words===

===Glossary of Yiddish Words===

The [[BeForever]] reprint added a glossary of Yiddish words used. 

===[[Looking Back]]===
Discusses the magic career of [[Wikipedia:Harry Houdini|Harry Houdini]] and fortune tellers during the 1900s. Topics covered:

* Harry Houdini's real identity as Ehrich Weiss<ref>This is a Germanized spelling of Harry Houdini's real name; Houdini's [http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2011/03/137-years-ago-in-budapest.html birth certificate] states the actual Hungarian spelling as '''Erik Weisz'''.</ref> and the Weisses' immigration to Appleton, Wisconsin, from Budapest, Hungary
* Ehrich Weiss's early childhood and life as a locksmith's assistant
* Ehrich Weiss's teenage years working as a necktie cutter in New York city
* The Brothers Houdini, a magic act between Ehrich Weiss and [http://www.houdinisghost.com/hyman.html Jacob Hyman],<ref>While the Looking Back section spells Jacob Hyman's surname as Hayman, this is incorrect.</ref> taking their name from a French magician, [[Wikipedia:Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin|Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin]]
* The split of The Brothers Houdini and Harry Houdini's solo success as an escape artist
* Houdini's fame and respect among immigrant families as a symbol of success, due to his name and immigrant background
* Houdini's skepticism of spiritualists and the addition of lectures and demonstrations of tricks utilized by spiritualists to his performances, eventually testifying before Congress regarding a bill to ban fortune-telling in Washington, DC
* Complaints filed against spiritualists and fortune tellers for scamming and swindling people in New York City
* Pawnbrokers who brokered the sale of people's possessions and valuables, and the stigma associated with pawnshops
* The use of pigeons among immigrants to deliver and receive messages

==Book Covers==
<gallery position="center" widths="200" spacing="small">
File:TheCrystalBall.jpg|First cover from 2012-2016
</gallery>

==References==

{{refs}}

{{stub}}



{{DEFAULTSORT:Crystal Ball, The}}
[[Category:Rebecca Rubin]]
[[Category:Rebecca's Collection]]
[[Category:Books]]
[[Category:Mysteries]]
[[Category:Historical Character Mysteries]]
[[Category:Historical Books]]
[[Category:Items Released in 2012]]
[[Category:BeForever]]
[[Category:Items Released in 2016]]

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''This page incorporates text from [https://americangirl.fandom.com/wiki/The_Crystal_Ball the source wiki] ([https://americangirl.fandom.com/index.php?oldid=103292 exported version], [https://americangirl.fandom.com/index.php?title=The+Crystal+Ball&action=history contributor history]), under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ the original text license].''