Caitlin the Ice Bear Fairy Read online

  There are seven special animals,

  Who live in Fairyland.

  They use their magic powers

  To help others where they can.

  A dragon, black cat, phoenix,

  A seahorse, and snow swan, too,

  A unicorn and ice bear —

  I know just what to do.

  I’ll lock them in my castle

  And never let them out.

  The world will turn more miserable,

  Of that, I have no doubt!

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  Frosty Sparkles!

  Too Late!

  To Jack Frost’s Castle

  Looking Green!

  Revealed!

  A Perfect Party

  Teaser

  Also Available

  Copyright

  “I can’t believe it’s the last day of camp already,” Kirsty Tate said sadly, as she finished packing her bag and zipped it shut. She gazed around the cozy wooden cabin where she and her best friend, Rachel Walker, had spent the week with four other girls. They’d been staying at an adventure camp and had taken part in all kinds of activities — exploring caves, canoeing, horseback riding — plus making some very special fairy friends!

  The week of camp was almost over now, and their bunkmates had packed their bags and were ready to go home. Kirsty and Rachel were the only ones left in the cabin.

  “We’ve had such amazing adventures this week,” Rachel said, smiling as she thought about them.

  Kirsty put on her jacket. “Well, our time here isn’t over just yet,” she reminded Rachel. “We’re still going to climb High Hill . . . and we have to find the last magical animal, too.”

  Rachel nodded, an anxious expression appearing on her face. “Oh, I hope we find the little ice bear,” she said. “I hate thinking about her being lost and alone.”

  “Or caught by Jack Frost’s goblins,” Kirsty added, frowning. “We can’t let that happen.”

  It was kind of cold outside, so Rachel grabbed their hats and scarves. “Come on,” she said. “The sooner we get out there and start looking, the better!”

  No one else at camp knew it, but Kirsty and Rachel had been having some extra-special adventures . . . helping the Magical Animal Fairies find their missing animals! Jack Frost had stolen them, but the clever animals had found a way to escape from his Ice Castle and enter the human world, where they’d been lost ever since. So far, the two girls had helped the fairies track down a baby dragon, a magic black cat, a young phoenix, a seahorse, a snow swan, and a unicorn. But they still needed to find the ice bear cub.

  Rachel and Kirsty went to meet the other campers, who were gathered outside the camp clubhouse. When everyone was there, one of the counselors, a tall man named Michael, spoke. “It’s the camp tradition to climb High Hill together on the last day of the week,” he said. “And when we get back, we’ll have a special good-bye party. So if everyone’s ready for the hike, let’s go!”

  A winding path led up the tall, grassy hill and the group set off together. They hadn’t gone very far before they felt a cold wind begin to blow around them. “I’m glad I’ve got my gloves,” Kirsty said, digging them out of her coat pockets. “It’s chilly, isn’t it?”

  Rachel nodded, pulling her hat a little lower over her ears. “Yes — and look, there are even patches of frost on the ground up ahead,” she said, pointing them out.

  “Oh!” Kirsty said, walking faster toward them. Rachel had to jog a little to catch up with her, being careful not to slip. Kirsty seemed to speed up even more as they strode along the path.

  Before long, the girls were a good way ahead of all the other campers.

  Rachel glanced down and was surprised by how high they’d climbed. The camp already seemed small below them, and the staff preparing for the party looked like tiny stick figures.

  Rachel almost slipped on a patch of frost and quickly turned her attention back to the path. “Maybe we should slow down,” she suggested, as Kirsty seemed to speed up even more. “It’s very slippery here.”

  Kirsty shrugged. “We’ll be fine,” she said. “I feel like I could do anything!”

  Rachel glanced at her friend in surprise. Kirsty was in a weird mood! But before Rachel could say anything, they heard Michael shout out behind them, “Girls, slow down! It’s not a race! You guys are leaving the rest of us behind!”

  Rachel turned to see Michael waving at them. “Find a spot to wait for the rest of the group,” he called. “Let everyone catch up, OK?”

  “OK,” Rachel agreed, but Kirsty didn’t seem to have heard.

  “Rachel, look,” she was saying urgently, grabbing her friend’s arm. “Look at that shrub over there — it’s covered in sparkles!”

  Rachel glanced over to where Kirsty was pointing. Sure enough, the dark green bush was bright with tiny twinkling lights. Was it more frost or was it . . . ?

  Before she could finish her question, a tiny fairy fluttered out of the shrub, with a trail of glittering fairy dust behind her. It was Caitlin the Ice Bear Fairy!

  Caitlin had short brown hair and sparkly brown eyes. She was wearing a fluffy lilac coat with a furry pink collar, turquoise leggings, and big furry boots. “Hello, girls,” she said. “I’m looking for Crystal, my ice bear. Have you seen her anywhere?”

  “I’m sure we can find her,” Kirsty said confidently. She put her hands on her hips. “Maybe I should climb a tree to get a good look around?”

  Rachel gave her friend a confused look. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she said slowly. “This part of the hill is so steep — if you fell, you could get really hurt.”

  “I won’t fall!” Kirsty declared.

  Rachel stared at her. Kirsty was acting so strange today! “Are you all right?” she asked.

  Caitlin smiled. “I think I know why Kirsty is feeling so brave,” she said. “It’s because of Crystal the ice bear’s magic — she must be somewhere nearby!”

  Rachel smiled, too. Of course! At the start of their adventure, she and Kirsty had learned that each of the seven magical animals had a very special power — such as humor, imagination, courage, and compassion. The Magical Animal Fairies trained the animals and taught them how to use their powers, so the animals could spread their gifts throughout the human world and Fairyland. Crystal’s power was the gift of courage.

  “Remember, a magical animal’s power can become stronger or even work in the opposite way when they’re nervous or scared,” Caitlin reminded the girls. “And their powers affect people who are close to them!”

  Kirsty looked excited. “So where is Crystal?” she wondered aloud. “I can’t see her, but it’s definitely cold enough for an ice bear around here.”

  Just then, Caitlin let out a gasp and pointed to a sparkling, icy trail that led farther up the hill. “Look how thick that ice is,” she said. “I have a horrible feeling that Jack Frost has been here. He must be searching for Crystal, too!”

  Even Kirsty felt her confidence fade when she heard this. She and Rachel had met cold, prickly Jack Frost many times by now, and he was really scary. But she hated the thought of little Crystal being caught by him even more than she dreaded seeing him herself. “We’ve got to track them both down — and fast,” she said in a determined voice. “Maybe . . .”

  “Sssshh,” Rachel whispered, elbowing her. The campers’ voices and laughter were much louder now, as Michael and the rest of the group caught up with them. Caitlin had to duck into the folds of Rachel’s scarf so that she woul
dn’t be seen.

  “We’re going to take a short break,” Michael announced to everyone. “It’s been a tough climb and there’s still a ways to go before we’ll reach the top. I’ve got a thermos of hot chocolate here and snacks, too. Come and help yourselves, then find a quiet spot to take a break.”

  Kirsty raised an eyebrow at Rachel, who nodded. This sounded like the perfect opportunity to sneak up the icy trail in search of Jack Frost! They grabbed some cookies and set off at once, carefully making their way up the frozen path.

  It was very slippery and both girls had to tread carefully, clinging to the shrubs on either side of the steep trail so they did not lose their footing. As she almost skidded for the third time, Rachel realized that Jack Frost might have made the path icy to keep them from finding Crystal. It wouldn’t surprise her. He was so horrible!

  Five minutes of slipping and sliding later, the girls were so far up the path, they could barely hear the sound of their friends farther down the hill. The trail twisted around the corner . . . and then the girls stopped as they saw who was standing only a few feet ahead: Jack Frost! He had a little white bear cub on an icy leash and was smiling in a horrible, gloating way.

  “You’re too late!” he cried, his voice ringing out through the cold air. “The ice bear is mine again. Those silly goblins — I should have known better than to trust them with bringing back the magical animals. If you want a job done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. And now I have the ice bear, and it will make me the most courageous creature in Fairyland!”

  Caitlin fluttered out from her hiding place. Her face dropped with despair when she saw Crystal on a leash. The ice bear growled with unhappiness when she saw her fairy friend, and struggled to get free. But Jack Frost simply pulled the leash tighter so that Crystal couldn’t move.

  “You’re making a mistake,” Caitlin cried, her voice shaking. “Stealing Crystal won’t guarantee you courage — her magic doesn’t work like that.”

  “Well, it’s working just fine so far,” Jack Frost snarled. “I feel full of courage — and confident that you’ll never get her back again!” He waved his wand and was surrounded by glittering blue icy magic. In the blink of an eye, he and Crystal had completely vanished.

  “We have to go after him,” Rachel said, as the last blue sparkles from Jack Frost’s magic faded. “Time will stand still here while we’re in Fairyland, right? Let’s try to find him there!”

  “You’re right,” Caitlin agreed, her face pale. “We’ll go to his Ice Castle right away!” She waved her wand and a flood of sparkly lilac fairy dust swirled around the three of them. It wrapped the girls in a glittering whirlwind and lifted them off their feet.

  A few seconds later, they landed and the whirlwind disappeared. Now they were in Fairyland — and Kirsty and Rachel had both been turned into fairies with their own shimmering wings on their backs!

  Kirsty shook out her wings with a smile, then looked around. They were standing in a snow-covered garden outside a tall castle with icy blue towers — Jack Frost’s castle!

  “My magic won’t take us inside the castle,” Caitlin explained. “We’ll have to sneak in somehow to see if Jack Frost is there.” She fluttered her wings and rose from the ground. “Come on, let’s fly around and see if we can find a way in.”

  The three friends flew high into the air and began circling the castle. Down below, goblins were running around and shouting. “There’s a bear in the castle!” the fairies heard one cry with fear. “I saw it — and it had such sharp teeth! There’s no way I’m going in there again!”

  “That’s interesting,” Caitlin said, hovering in midair as she watched them. “It looks like Crystal’s courage magic is working in reverse on these goblins. They seem awfully nervous.” A hopeful expression appeared on her face. “I wonder if all this running around means they left the castle unguarded? We might be able to get in easily.”

  The three of them fluttered through the air, searching for a way into the castle. Unfortunately, the windows were all barred, and there were goblin guards on the towers. There were also two goblins at the huge doors that marked the main entrance to the castle. These goblins looked nervous about something, too, and the fairies flew closer so that they could listen to their conversation.

  “Jack Frost is going to be really angry if he doesn’t get his ice pops soon,” one of them said fearfully. “But I refuse to go in the same room as that scary bear!”

  “I heard it growling a minute ago,” the second goblin said as he shook with fear. “What are we going to do?”

  Rachel smiled as an idea suddenly came to her. “We could offer to take the ice pops in!” she hissed. “Caitlin, could you use your magic to make us look like goblins?”

  Caitlin nodded. “Yes,” she replied, her face lighting up. “Great idea — hopefully then we can get close to Jack Frost and Crystal, too. The only thing is, turning us all into goblin look-alikes will take a lot of magic, and the effects won’t last for very long.”

  “Then we’ll have to be as quick as we can,” Kirsty said. “I think it’s our only chance!”

  The three friends quickly found a deserted corner of the castle grounds. Caitlin waved her wand and muttered a string of magical-sounding words. There was a green flash of light and a swirl of lilac fairy dust, and then Rachel and Kirsty felt the strangest sensation in their faces — as if their skin was stretching! Kirsty reached up to pat her face and her eyes widened in surprise when she felt how long and bumpy her nose was. Oh, and her ears felt enormous!

  She looked at the other two and burst into giggles. They were hardly recognizable as Rachel and Caitlin. They both looked just like sneaky green goblins!

  “I don’t know why you’re laughing.” Rachel giggled, elbowing her. “You’re not looking so pretty yourself!”

  “We should hurry,” Caitlin reminded them. “My magic won’t last long, and Crystal’s magic might be reversed any second. Then the goblins will be super-confident instead of nervous.”

  The three of them went quickly to the entrance of the castle, where the goblin guards were still arguing about the ice pops.

  “We’ll take them,” Kirsty offered, trying to make her voice deep like a goblin’s. Her heart pounded as she waited for them to reply. Would the disguise fool them?

  The guards exchanged a sneaky look. “Sure,” one said, pushing the box of ice pops over. “It’s totally safe in there. There’s no bear or anything . . . ow!” He yelped as the other goblin stomped on his toe.

  Rachel pressed her lips together, trying not to smile. So far, so good! “Is Jack Frost in his throne room?” she asked.

  “Yep,” the second guard replied. “With that scary b —” He stopped quickly and covered his mouth. “With nothing,” he said quickly. “He’s in there with nothing.”

  “Fine,” Kirsty said, taking the box. “Come on, guys.”

  Once past the guards, the three friends ran through the long icy corridors toward Jack Frost’s throne room. They’d been inside the castle many times now and knew which way to go.

  But as they hurried along, Kirsty noticed with a pang of fear that Rachel’s hands were no longer as green as they had been. “I think the magic might be wearing off already,” she said nervously. “Look at your hands, Rachel!”

  Rachel peered down in dismay, then inspected Kirsty’s face. “Your nose isn’t as pointy as it was, either,” she said. “We have to get there as soon as possible!”

  “We need to work out our plan, too,” Caitlin realized. “How are we actually going to get Crystal back, once we’re in the throne room?”

  “It’s probably best if you free Crystal, since she knows you,” Rachel said, thinking fast as they rushed along. “Maybe Kirsty and I can distract Jack Frost, so you have a chance to get close to Crystal?”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Kirsty
agreed as they reached the throne room.

  “Me, too,” Caitlin said, taking a deep breath. “Come on, then. Let’s do it.”

  Kirsty knocked on the door and they walked in, trying to look as businesslike as possible.

  Jack Frost was sitting on his icy throne, drumming his fingers on the armrest. Crystal was tied to the throne by an icy leash, and was lying with her head on her paws.

  “Poor thing,” Caitlin murmured under her breath. “She looks so unhappy!”

  The throne room was chilly and grand, lit by icy chandeliers and paved with a stone floor. Rachel could feel goosebumps prickling along her arms, and her teeth chattered in the cold.

  Jack Frost looked up at the new arrivals, and his eyes narrowed to slits. Rachel’s heart skipped a beat. Did he recognize them?

  Kirsty was worried at the sight of Jack Frost’s expression, too. Then she realized he was staring at the box of ice pops. “About time!” he snarled. “What kept you?”

  “Our apologies,” Kirsty said, bowing respectfully.

  “Well, hurry up and bring me a green pop already,” he snapped, holding out his hand.

  A thought struck Kirsty. Maybe this was a good opportunity to distract Jack Frost! She plucked a red ice pop from the box and took it to him, her heart pounding. “Here you go,” she said.

  Jack Frost glared at the red ice pop, then at Kirsty. “Green, you fool! I said green! This is red!”

  Kirsty pretended to look surprised. “Red? It looks green to me, sir,” she said in her goblin voice.