Carrie the Snow Cap Fairy

  The Earth Fairies must be dreaming

  If they think they can escape my scheming.

  My goblins are by far the greenest,

  And I am definitely the meanest.

  Seven fairies out to save the earth?

  This very idea fills me with mirth!

  I’m sure the world has had enough

  Of fairy magic and all that stuff.

  So I’m going to steal the fairies’ wands

  And send them into human lands.

  The fairies will think all is lost,

  Defeated again — by me, Jack Frost!

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  Frosty Leaves

  Goblins on Ice

  Jack Frost Appears

  Bridge of Ice

  Go, Earth Fairies!

  Seeds of Hope

  Teaser

  Copyright

  “Brrr!” Shivering, Rachel Walker glanced across the bedroom at her best friend. Kirsty Tate was just waking up, too. “It’s really cold this morning, isn’t it?”

  Kirsty yawned and nodded. “It’s freezing,” she agreed. “It’s been getting colder all week.”

  “Well, I suppose it is getting late in the year,” said Rachel. She sat up in bed, wrapping the comforter around her shoulders. “It’ll be winter soon — but I didn’t expect the weather to change quite so fast!”

  “Haven’t we had a wonderful vacation though, Rachel?” Kirsty sighed happily. “It’s been so special to come back to Rainspell Island, where we first met.”

  The Walkers and the Tates were spending the fall break together in a pretty little cottage on beautiful, magical Rainspell Island.

  “Yes, it’s been fabulous!” Rachel smiled. “And we’re even having another fairy adventure, just like the first time we visited Rainspell.”

  “Only this time it was our turn to ask the fairies for help,” Kirsty pointed out.

  When Kirsty and Rachel had returned to Rainspell Island a week ago, they’d been horrified to see the wide, golden beach covered in litter. So they’d asked the king and queen of Fairyland if their fairy friends could help them clean up the human environment.

  The king and queen had explained to the girls that fairy magic could only do so much, and that humans had to help the environment, too. But they had agreed that the seven fairies who were about to complete their training could become the Earth Fairies for a trial period. They would work together with Rachel and Kirsty to try to make the world a cleaner place. If the fairies completed their training successfully, protecting the environment would become their permanent task.

  But just as the Earth Fairies were about to be presented with their new wands, Jack Frost and his goblins had zoomed toward them on an ice bolt. The goblins had snatched all seven wands, and then Jack Frost’s icy magic had sent them tumbling into the human world.

  Jack Frost had declared that the world didn’t need any more fairies flitting around doing good deeds. Rachel and Kirsty had promised the king and queen that they would do their best to get all the wands safely back into the hands of the Earth Fairies.

  “Wasn’t it just like Jack Frost and his goblins to steal all the wands?” Kirsty said, shuddering at the memory. “Thank goodness we’ve been able to find six of them, Rachel.”

  “Yes, with the help of Nicole, Isabella, Edie, Coral, Lily, and Milly,” Rachel replied. “But we still have to find Carrie the Snow Cap Fairy’s wand.”

  Kirsty looked worried. “If we don’t find Carrie’s wand, the fairies will fail their final exam, and then they won’t be able to keep helping the environment.”

  “But you know what Queen Titania always says,” Rachel reminded Kirsty as she went over to open the curtains. “We have to wait for the magic to come to us.”

  “I know,” Kirsty said with a sigh. “But we don’t have much time — we’re going home later today.”

  As Rachel opened the curtains wide, she gave a surprised gasp.“Kirsty, come and look!”

  Kirsty ran to join Rachel at the window. There had been a heavy frost during the night, and the trees, flowers, and grass in the cottage garden were covered with a thin layer of white ice that glittered in the morning sunshine.

  “Doesn’t the garden look beautiful?” Kirsty exclaimed.

  “Let’s go out before it all melts,” Rachel suggested.

  The girls dressed quickly and ran downstairs. The front door of the cottage was open. Mr. Walker had just begun sprinkling sand on the path to make the ice less slippery.

  “Morning, girls,” he said as Rachel and Kirsty stepped outside. “Be careful you don’t slip.”

  “We won’t,” Rachel replied. But as she spoke, her foot slid away from her, and Kirsty had to grab her arm to keep her from falling over.

  Rachel’s dad grinned. “See what I mean?”

  “Why do you think it got so cold all of a sudden, Mr. Walker?” Kirsty asked.

  “I suppose it’s because of climate change,” Mr. Walker replied, scattering a handful of sand across the path. “Climate change can cause some strange weather — too cold, too hot, too wet. Overall though, the world is getting hotter. Even the polar ice caps are melting,” Mr. Walker explained. “That’s very bad news for the world because it means in years to come the seas will rise, and then there will likely be more floods.” He emptied out the last grains of sand, then glanced at his watch. “I need to go help with the packing. We’re leaving soon.”

  Rachel turned to Kirsty as Mr. Walker hurried into the house.

  “We have to find Carrie’s wand before we leave Rainspell Island,”Rachel whispered. “We need her help to fight climate change!”

  “We’ll just have to keep our eyes open,” replied Kirsty, glancing around. “The garden looks so pretty, doesn’t it, Rachel? The frost is making everything sparkle in the sunshine.”

  “Look at the frosty leaves on that plant.” Rachel pointed toward the back of the garden. “They seem to be almost glowing!”

  The girls went to take a look. As they got closer, they could see something fluttering around the leaves. At first, they thought it was a butterfly. But then Kirsty grabbed Rachel’s arm, her face full of excitement.

  “I can see a fairy!” Kirsty cried.

  The fairy was dressed in a green fake-fur jacket over a cozy wool sweater. She wore mittens, and dark blue jeans tucked into furry boots. She was hovering above a frosty leaf. As Rachel and Kirsty watched, the fairy gently kissed the leaf’s surface. Instantly, the frost melted away, and the leaf glowed a bright green.

  At once, the fairy spotted Rachel and Kirsty and waved.

  “Girls!” she called. “Do you remember me? I’m Carrie the Snow Cap Fairy!”

  “Of course we remember you, Carrie!” Rachel said.

  “We’re so happy to see you,” Kirsty added with a smile.

  “And I’m thrilled to see you,” declared Carrie, zooming over to them. “Girls, I desperately need my wand back! The polar ice caps are melting, and I have to try to keep that from happening.”

  “Do you have any idea where your wand is?” asked Rachel.

  Carrie nodded. “Oh, yes,” she replied.

  “But it’s far away from here, in the South Pole — with the goblins!” She frowned. “You know that my magic is limited without my wand because I’m still a fairy-in-training. So I’ll have to use what little magic I have to get there.”

  “Can we still come with you?” Kirsty asked hopefully.

  Rachel nodded. “We want to help.”

  Carrie sighed with relief. “I was hoping you would. Let’s go, girls!” she cried. “There’s no time to lose.”

  Carrie
fluttered above Rachel and Kirsty, waving her hand. A shower of magic fairy dust floated down around the girls. As it did, the frosty garden began to shimmer and sparkle even more brightly in the sunshine. Rachel and Kirsty were so dazzled, they had to close their eyes. The next moment they felt themselves being whisked off their feet, and then they were flying through the air.

  “We’ve arrived, girls!” Carrie cried joyfully. “I’ve made sure you’re going to be nice and cozy here in my cold but beautiful South Pole!”

  The girls eagerly opened their eyes. Carrie had turned them into fairies with her magic, and they were hovering high up in the air. They were now wearing fluffy white earmuffs, mittens, furry boots, and shimmering silver parkas. And there were glittering fairy wings on their shoulders!

  Freezing cold air swirled around Rachel and Kirsty as they looked down at the landscape below them. The girls were utterly amazed by what they saw.

  They were floating above vast, icy plains that stretched in every direction, as far as the eye could see. The plains were bordered by an enormous ocean. The greenish-blue water was covered with huge, towering icebergs and thick flat sheets of ice that moved slowly across the surface.

  In the distance the girls could see snow-covered mountains, their peaks glistening in the pale light of the sun.

  “This is so beautiful!” Kirsty gasped. “But there are hardly any plants or trees!”

  “That’s because the ice never really melts very much, even in summer,” Carrie explained. “At certain times of the year, the whole ocean freezes over!”

  Suddenly, a seal popped his sleek head out of the icy water. He stared curiously up at Carrie and the girls with shiny, dark eyes. Then, with one swift flick of his tail, he disappeared again.

  “Will we see any polar bears?” Rachel asked, looking around eagerly.

  Carrie laughed. “Animals like polar bears and walruses and caribou live in the North Pole!” she told the girls. “But there are lots of different animals here. I’ll show you around while we search for my wand. Come on!”

  Rachel and Kirsty quickly flew after Carrie as she jetted over the water.

  “Look at the icebergs below us,” Kirsty said to Rachel. “They’re the most amazing shapes!”

  “And so big,” Rachel added. “They look taller than our cottage back on Rainspell!”

  Just then a spray of sea water shot into the air. Carrie and the girls had to dodge it to avoid getting splashed.

  “See the blue whale, girls?” Carrie yelled. “That water came from his blowhole!”

  Rachel and Kirsty glanced down and just caught a glimpse of the enormous whale as he dove underwater again.

  “There’s so much to see!” Kirsty exclaimed. It was then that she spotted something glinting in the sunshine just ahead of them.

  “Oh! What’s that?” Kirsty cried, pointing it out to Rachel and Carrie.

  When the three friends flew closer, they saw that it was a long, thin icicle hanging from an iceberg.

  Kirsty’s face fell. “I thought it was the wand.” She sighed.

  “Listen!” Rachel said suddenly. “I can hear something!”

  She spun around in the air and spotted a large group of penguins standing on an ice sheet not far behind them. The penguins were squawking and seemed very annoyed.

  “Let’s go and check it out,” Carrie suggested.

  They flew toward the penguins, but as they got closer, Kirsty gasped. “Goblins!” she cried.

  Three goblins were standing on the sheet of ice, surrounded by penguins. They were all arguing loudly.

  “I wonder what they’re fighting about,” Carrie said, puzzled. But Kirsty had already spotted something.

  “See the big penguin at the front?” Kirsty pointed out, breathless with excitement. “He has your wand, Carrie!”

  The penguin was holding the gleaming wand firmly between his black flippers. When one of the goblins lunged to grab it, the other penguins immediately rushed forward, flapping their flippers at the goblin. He quickly retreated, scowling.

  “The penguins don’t want to give up the wand!” Rachel said with a grin.

  The three goblins were muttering among themselves. Suddenly, they all dashed toward the big penguin. They took him by surprise, and one of the goblins managed to grab the end of the wand. But the big penguin, squawking with rage, held tightly on to the other end.

  “They’re playing tug-of-war!” Kirsty laughed as the other penguins and goblins rushed to join the battle for the wand.

  The goblins were outnumbered by the penguins, but they were determined not to give in. They jumped up and down, tugging hard at the wand.

  Suddenly, there was a loud CRACK!

  “What’s that?” Kirsty gasped.

  “The sheet of ice has cracked in two!” Carrie shouted.

  The ice that the goblins and penguins were standing on had broken away from the main sheet and was floating away. The goblins were thrown off-balance, but the smallest one just managed to wrestle the wand from the big penguin as he fell over.

  “I got it!” the goblin roared triumphantly, waving the wand in the air.

  “Give it to me!” the others yelled, both trying to grab it.

  Looking disgusted with the goblins, the penguins dove into the water and swam off. Meanwhile, the piece of ice continued to float away as the goblins argued over the wand.

  “The goblins don’t realize it, but they’re stranded and floating out to sea!” Rachel exclaimed.

  “Yes, they’re in great danger,” Carrie added anxiously. “And they’re taking my wand with them!”

  Carrie, Rachel, and Kirsty immediately flew over to the goblins.

  “You’re in big trouble!” Carrie called down to them. “You’re floating right out to sea, and what will you do then?”

  The goblins stopped arguing. They looked around and realized that Carrie was right. Panic spread across their faces.

  “HELP!” they shouted loudly.

  “Give us the wand, and we’ll make sure you get safely back to the shore,” Kirsty offered.

  The goblins stared suspiciously up at the three friends. Then they made a huddle and began muttering to one another.

  “We don’t need the help of any silly fairies!” the biggest goblin grumbled. “Jack Frost is coming very soon to get the wand.”

  “Yes, he loves all this ice and snow,” the smallest goblin chimed in, waving the wand around. “And he can’t wait to have another wand for winter.”

  “Jack Frost must be on his way by now,” said the third goblin. “He’ll help us! So there!” And he rudely poked his tongue out at Carrie and the girls.

  “We have to get the wand back before Jack Frost arrives,” Carrie whispered urgently to Rachel and Kirsty.

  “Let’s fly down and try to grab it,” Rachel suggested.

  But as the three friends flew lower, the smallest goblin pointed the wand at them like a warning. “Keep away!” he shouted. “Or I’ll use my magic to stop you!”

  “Don’t do that!” Carrie warned him. “The magic is very unpredictable in the wrong hands—”

  But the goblins weren’t listening. The biggest goblin lunged forward and grabbed the wand from the other one. Then he began waving it wildly in the air, chanting a silly spell:

  “We love ice,

  We love snow,

  Do we love fairies?

  No, no, NO!

  We want snowballs,

  Not to play,

  So we can shoo

  These fairies away!”

  Carrie and the girls watched anxiously as a few sparkles of fairy dust drifted from the wand. Suddenly an enormous snowball fell from the sky and landed with a SPLAT right on top of the goblins. They disappeared into the giant pile of snow, and all Carrie and the girls could see were their legs sticking out. The three friends couldn’t help laughing as the silly goblins wiggled their way out of the snow and then shook themselves off.

  “Get them!” the smallest goblin yelled.
Quickly, he rolled some snow into a snowball and hurled it right at Rachel. She ducked, but now the other two goblins were making snowballs, too. They started throwing them at Carrie and Kirsty.

  “We can’t get close enough to grab the wand while they’re attacking us!” Kirsty panted, zooming upward to avoid another snowball.

  “Look!” Carrie pointed down at the ocean. “The seals think this is a game!”

  The girls glanced down and saw several seals bobbing around in the water. As the snowballs flew, the seals batted them with their flippers. They honked with delight whenever they hit one.

  Suddenly, Rachel noticed a tall, thin, spiky figure standing on the icy shore.

  “Oh, no!” she whispered to Carrie and Kirsty. “It’s Jack Frost!”

  The goblins had not noticed that Jack Frost had arrived. The biggest one threw a snowball at Carrie, but he slipped slightly as he threw it. Instead of hitting the fairy, the snowball zoomed toward the shore. It hit Jack Frost smack in the face. Carrie, Rachel, and Kirsty grinned at each other.

  “STOP!” Jack Frost roared furiously, wiping the snow away.

  “Oh, no!” the biggest goblin muttered, looking horrified.

  “We knew you’d come to rescue us,” the smallest goblin called to Jack Frost.

  Jack Frost scowled. “I should let you float right out to sea!” he snapped.