https://americangirl.wiki/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=The_Crystal_BallThe Crystal Ball - Revision history2026-11-11T18:03:44ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.46.2https://americangirl.wiki/w/index.php?title=The_Crystal_Ball&diff=5413&oldid=prevMigrationBot: Imported latest exported content; source attribution retained.2021-07-09T06:02:40Z<p>Imported latest exported content; source attribution retained.</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{infobox book<br />
| name = The Crystal Ball<br />
| image = BF_TheCrystalBall.png<br />
| imagewidth = 300px<br />
| caption = The [[BeForever]] cover of The Crystal Ball.<br />
| published = 2012<br />
| author = [[Jacqueline Dembar Greene]]<br />
| illustrator = [[Sergio Giovine]] (first edition)<br>[[Juliana Kolesova]] (second edition)<br />
| isbn = 1593699492<br />
| 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><br />
| related = [[List of Rebecca's Books|Rebecca's Series]]<br />
| related2 = After the events of ''[[Secrets at Camp Nokomis]]''<br />
}}<br />
'''The Crystal Ball''' is a [[Historical Character Mysteries|Historical Character Mystery]] that is part of [[List of Rebecca's Books|Rebecca's books.]]<br />
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==Characters==<br />
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===From the [[Central Series]]===<br />
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* [[Rebecca Rubin]]<br />
* [[Louis Rubin]]<br />
* [[Vera Rubin]]<br />
* [[Sadie and Sophie Rubin]]<br />
* [[Victor Rubin]]<br />
* [[Benny Rubin]]<br />
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Bubbie Shereshevsky|Bubbie Shereshevsky]]<br />
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Grandpa Shereshevsky|Grandpa Shereshevsky]]<br />
* [[Josef Rubin]]<br />
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Leonardo Rossi|Leonardo Rossi]]<br />
<br />
===Introduced===<br />
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Mr. and Mrs. Pomerantz|Mr. and Mrs. Pomerantz]]<br />
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Dominic Silvestri|Dominic Silvestri]]<br />
* [[Minor Characters in Rebecca's Series#Madame Verona|Madame Verona]]<br />
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==Chapter By Chapter Summary==<br />
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===Chapter One: Times Square Fair===<br />
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===Chapter Two: Houdini Happenings===<br />
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===Chapter Three: Magical Lights===<br />
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===Chapter Four: A Handful of Predictions===<br />
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===Chapter Five: Things Could Be Worse===<br />
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===Chapter Six: A Mysterious Message===<br />
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===Chapter Seven: Suspicions===<br />
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===Chapter Eight: A Puzzle in a Pawnshop===<br />
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===Chapter Nine: A Blind Alley===<br />
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===Chapter Ten: The Secret Chamber===<br />
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===Chapter Eleven: A Knotty Problem===<br />
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===Chapter Twelve: Fortunes Reversed===<br />
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===Glossary of Italian Words===<br />
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===Glossary of Yiddish Words===<br />
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The [[BeForever]] reprint added a glossary of Yiddish words used. <br />
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===[[Looking Back]]===<br />
Discusses the magic career of [[Wikipedia:Harry Houdini|Harry Houdini]] and fortune tellers during the 1900s. Topics covered:<br />
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* 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<br />
* Ehrich Weiss's early childhood and life as a locksmith's assistant<br />
* Ehrich Weiss's teenage years working as a necktie cutter in New York city<br />
* 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]]<br />
* The split of The Brothers Houdini and Harry Houdini's solo success as an escape artist<br />
* Houdini's fame and respect among immigrant families as a symbol of success, due to his name and immigrant background<br />
* 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<br />
* Complaints filed against spiritualists and fortune tellers for scamming and swindling people in New York City<br />
* Pawnbrokers who brokered the sale of people's possessions and valuables, and the stigma associated with pawnshops<br />
* The use of pigeons among immigrants to deliver and receive messages<br />
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==Book Covers==<br />
<gallery position="center" widths="200" spacing="small"><br />
File:TheCrystalBall.jpg|First cover from 2012-2016<br />
</gallery><br />
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==References==<br />
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{{refs}}<br />
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{{stub}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Crystal Ball, The}}<br />
[[Category:Rebecca Rubin]]<br />
[[Category:Rebecca's Collection]]<br />
[[Category:Books]]<br />
[[Category:Mysteries]]<br />
[[Category:Historical Character Mysteries]]<br />
[[Category:Historical Books]]<br />
[[Category:Items Released in 2012]]<br />
[[Category:BeForever]]<br />
[[Category:Items Released in 2016]]<br />
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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].''<br />
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