Name that story

I had recently posted this in 'Name That Book' but maybe you can help me out.

This is a short story set slightly into the future. I don't remember a year mentioned. A boy (around 12 years old?) is looking forward to the annual carnival/fair that is coming to town. The fair has rides for adults and kids. All adults understand there is an element of risk to the adult rides, they are a form of population control, a certain percentage don't make it. But the boy doesn't know this and sneaks onto one of the adult rides, only thinking it will be more of a thrill than the kiddie rides.

This is how I remember the story. I read this in English class around grade 8, so that would make it about 1987. Can anyone tell me the title and the author?

While we wait for someone to name sandragon's story (I'd like to read it!), here's one that I've been wondering about for a lot longer. The story was in a magazine (think Saturday Evening Post) in the early 1950's.

The favorite uncle came to visit, and showed the little girl a trick in which he made a coin vanish by saying a magic word. She was impressed. Later, she was playing outside and was frightened by an insect. She used the magic word and . . . no insect. When the bratty kid next door came over and hassled her, she used the magic word and . . . no bratty kid. And so on, until the uncle had to be summoned to do something about numerous missing persons.

Title? Author?

P. S. I've always wished that that magic word worked. :-)

I have read it in an sf anthology. Now who would write a story like that? Hmm...

I think the magic word story might be by Ray Bradbury, though I can't think of the title.

On a related note, you may enjoy Alfred Bester's story, "Star Light, Star Bright".

My older sibling, who read the story back then, says that the magic word was
Oogledeboo.

Be careful trying it out! ;-)

Does that jog any more memories?

I doubt it was Bradbury it struck me as slick rather than lesurely if you know what i mean. Charles L Harness Theodore Sturgeon and Damon Knight.are more the sort of writer I would associate with it. I know I have read the Bester could you just give my memory a jog?

For the magic "oogledeboo" ("esse" is "percipi"), I believe you want the story The Little Terror, by Will F. Jenkins (aka Murray Leinster). I read it in Asimov's _Tomorrow's Children_ from my local library, which is long since out of print and quite expensive used. :-(

Reply to friendlybasilisk:

That's it! THANK YOU!

I did some googling, and found that it is in 2 other anthologies: The Post Reader of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 1964, and
Marriage and the Family Through Science Fiction, ed. Val Clear, et.al, St. Martin’s 1976.

To top it all off, a shelf search reveals that I HAVE the Post Reader! (One of these days I must read - - - and index - - - everything in all of those anthologies.) If you'll excuse me, I'm off to read the story for the first
time since 1953. :-)