Lauren the Puppy Fairy

  Fairies with their pets I see

  and yet no pet has chosen me!

  So I will get some of my own

  to share my perfect frosty home.

  This spell I cast, its aim is clear:

  To bring the magic pets straight here.

  The Pet Fairies soon will see

  their seven pets living with me!

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  Puppies on Show

  Puppy, Come Back!

  Trouble Scoots Up

  Grabbed by Goblins!

  New Friends

  Puppy Love

  Teaser

  Also Available

  Copyright

  “Look at that zucchini, Kirsty!” Rachel Walker laughed, pointing at the giant green vegetable on the display table. “It’s almost as big as I am!”

  Kirsty Tate read the card propped in front of the zucchini. “It won a prize,” she announced. “It’s the biggest vegetable at the Wetherbury Spring Show!”

  There were other enormous vegetables on the table. The girls stared at the giant-size carrots and onions. There were also huge bowls of daffodils, tulips, and bluebells. The best flower displays had won prizes, too.

  “This is great!” Rachel declared. “I wish we had a Spring Show back home.”

  Rachel was staying in Wetherbury with Kirsty for the week, and the girls had spent the whole afternoon at the show. The field was crammed with booths selling homemade cakes, cookies, and jams, and there were pony rides and a huge red-and-yellow bouncy castle. Rachel and Kirsty were having a great time!

  “I think we’ve been around the whole show,” Kirsty said at last. “Mom and Dad will be here to pick us up soon.”

  “Should we take one last look at our favorite booth?” Rachel asked eagerly.

  “You mean the one for the Wetherbury Animal Shelter?” Kirsty said with a smile.

  Rachel nodded. “I want to see if they’ve found homes for those four puppies.”

  “I hope so,” Kirsty said. “They were really cute! And speaking of pets . . .” She lowered her voice so that she wouldn’t be overheard. “Do you think we might find another fairy pet today?”

  “We’ll just have to keep our eyes open!” Rachel whispered in a determined voice.

  No one else knew Kirsty’s and Rachel’s wonderful secret. They were friends with the fairies! Whenever there was trouble in Fairyland, the girls were always happy to help. Mean Jack Frost caused lots of problems for the fairies. This time, he had stolen the seven Pet Fairies’ magical animals! But the mischievous pets had escaped from Jack Frost, and were now lost in the human world. Rachel and Kirsty were trying to find the pets and return them to their fairy owners before Jack Frost’s goblins caught them!

  “It’s too bad Jack Frost can’t get his own pet, instead of trying to steal someone else’s!” Kirsty remarked.

  “Yes, but remember what the fairies told us,” Rachel reminded her. “In Fairyland, the pets choose their owners — and none of them has ever chosen Jack Frost!”

  “There must be the perfect pet for him somewhere,” Kirsty said thoughtfully. “But it would have to be mean, just like him!”

  The girls headed toward the animal shelter booth. But as they got closer Rachel’s face fell. “Look, Kirsty,” she said sadly. “There’s still one puppy left.”

  Next to the booth was a large, fenced-in pen. When the girls had been there before, there had been four puppies in it — one brown, one white, and two black-and-white ones. Now only one black-and-white puppy remained. It was sitting in a corner, chewing on a piece of rope.

  “Oh, poor pup!” Kirsty said, sighing. She bent over the pen. The puppy immediately dropped the rope and bounced over, its tail wagging furiously. “It looks lonely.”

  Mr. Gregory, the vet who ran the animal shelter, was taking down the posters pinned up on the booth. Kirsty smiled at him. She knew him because she’d taken her kitten, Pearl, to Mr. Gregory to get her shots.

  “Hello,” Mr. Gregory said, smiling back. “It’s Kirsty Tate, isn’t it? How’s Pearl?”

  Kirsty grinned. “She’s great, thanks!” she replied. “What’s the puppy’s name, Mr. Gregory?”

  “I call him Bouncer,” the vet replied, “but it’ll be up to his new owners to give him his real name.”

  The puppy was licking Kirsty’s fingers through the wire fence. Bouncer looked so adorable that the girls just couldn’t understand why no one had given him a home yet!

  “Do you need any help packing up?” Rachel asked Mr. Gregory as he began clearing pamphlets from the table.

  “That’s very kind of you,” Mr. Gregory said gratefully. “Would you mind taking Bouncer for a quick walk around the grounds? He’s been cooped up in that pen all day.”

  Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other in excitement. “We’d love to!” they chorused.

  Mr. Gregory took a leash from his pocket and opened the pen. Bouncer was very excited when he saw the leash. He jumped around, giving little yaps of joy as the vet attached the leash to his collar.

  “You walk him first,” Rachel said to Kirsty. Kirsty took the leash and they set off, with the puppy running along beside them.

  “Don’t be too long, girls,” Mr. Gregory called. “It’ll only take me half an hour to pack up.”

  “OK,” Rachel replied with a wave.

  Bouncer pulled excitedly at the leash, sniffing here and there, as the girls walked between the booths. Everyone else was starting to pack up, too. There were still a few children left on the bouncy castle, but their parents were doing their best to convince them to come down so that it could be deflated.

  “I think Bouncer’s going to pull off my arm!” Kirsty laughed as the puppy strained to go faster. “He’s so excited.”

  “That’s because he just spotted another dog,” Rachel said, pointing ahead.

  A brown-and-white puppy with a shaggy coat and long, floppy ears had seen them, too. It came bounding down the hill toward them.

  “Isn’t it cute?” Kirsty laughed as the pup drew nearer, waving its tail in greeting. “It’s a springer spaniel, I think.”

  Bouncer was dancing around the girls’ legs, bursting with excitement at the sight of his new puppy friend. The spaniel ran up to them, gave a little yap, and dashed off again.

  Bouncer hurtled after it. Both girls’ eyes widened in horror as they realized that the leash was now hanging loosely in Kirsty’s hand. Somehow, Bouncer had gotten free!

  “Oh, no!” Rachel gasped. “How did that happen?”

  “I don’t know,” Kirsty replied anxiously. “But we’d better get him back right away!”

  Rachel and Kirsty dashed after the excited puppy.

  “I’m sure the leash was attached to Bouncer’s collar properly, Rachel,” Kirsty panted. “There’s something very strange going on here.”

  “You could be right,” Rachel agreed as she caught up with the puppies.

  The two dogs had stopped chasing each other. Now they were running around in circles, snapping playfully at each other’s tails.

  Kirsty looked around. “At least they’re safe here,” she pointed out. The puppies were in a corner of the showgrounds, not far from the high fence that separated the field from the road. “They can’t get out onto the street.”

  “I wonder where the spaniel’s owner is,” Rachel said, sounding worried. “I don’t see anyone nearby.”

  “I think there’s a name tag on its collar,” Kirsty said. She bent over the two puppies,
which were rolling around on the grass. “Look, Rachel.”

  The girls stared closely at the spaniel’s blue collar. A name tag in the shape of a little silver bone hung from it. SUNNY was written in glittering blue letters.

  “Hello, Sunny,” said Kirsty.

  The spaniel licked Kirsty’s hand and stared up at her with big brown eyes.

  “There’s no phone number or address,” Rachel said, taking a closer look at the name tag.

  “Let’s tell Mr. Gregory when we take Bouncer back,” Kirsty suggested. “He’ll know what to do.”

  “Good idea,” agreed Rachel.

  Tail wagging, Sunny jumped to his feet and gave a happy little yap. But then, to Rachel and Kirsty’s amazement, a sparkly, red rubber ball appeared in midair and fell to the ground! The spaniel pounced on it and nudged it toward Bouncer.

  “Did you see that, Kirsty?” Rachel gasped. “Or did I imagine it?”

  “I saw a ball appear from thin air, if that’s what you mean!” Kirsty replied, her voice shaking with excitement. The two dogs were playing with the ball now, knocking it back and forth. “Rachel, do you think Sunny could be one of the magic fairy pets?”

  Rachel stared at the spaniel. He was standing with his head tilted to one side, watching Bouncer. “Yes, I think he might be,” she agreed.

  Bouncer dropped the ball to bark at Sunny. The ball landed on the grassy hill and began to roll away from the puppy, gathering speed. It was heading straight toward an open gate that led out onto the busy road. To the girls’ horror, Bouncer suddenly turned and raced after it.

  “Bouncer!” Rachel yelled as the puppy headed for the gate. “Kirsty, we have to stop him!”

  With Sunny at their heels, the girls chased after the puppy, calling his name. But Bouncer was too intent on catching the ball to notice.

  “We’re too far away to catch him,” Kirsty cried. “Bouncer, stop!”

  But no sooner were the words out of Kirsty’s mouth than Sunny raced ahead of the girls and gave another little yap. Rachel blinked as she spotted a faint shimmer of silver fairy dust around Sunny. The next moment, a big, meaty bone appeared in Bouncer’s path.

  The puppy skidded to a halt, ignoring the ball as it bounced out of the gate and onto the road. He was far more interested in the juicy bone! With a little yelp of delight, Bouncer lay down to have a good chew.

  “That was close!” Kirsty panted, bending down to clip Bouncer’s leash on again.

  “Yes, that bone turned up just in time,” Rachel agreed, patting Sunny. “You know, Kirsty, I think Bouncer getting off his leash, and then the ball and the bone appearing out of nowhere, can only mean one thing . . .”

  Kirsty nodded. “Sunny must be Lauren the Puppy Fairy’s missing pet!” she declared.

  “He is!” laughed a light, silvery voice above the girls’ heads.

  Rachel and Kirsty glanced up. A pink balloon was floating down toward them. Holding onto the string, waving and smiling, was Lauren the Puppy Fairy.

  “Hello,” Kirsty and Rachel called, beaming happily. Sunny had spotted his owner, too, and was jumping around excitedly.

  Lauren floated down toward them, her long light brown hair trailing in the breeze. She wore pink cargo pants, a cropped pink top, and sneakers. Waving her wand at the girls, she fluttered down to stand on Sunny’s back.

  “I’m so glad to see you, Sunny!” Lauren cried happily, dropping a tiny kiss on top of her pet’s head. “And you too, girls.”

  “We’re so glad you’re here!” Kirsty replied.

  “I think Sunny’s tail is going to drop off if he doesn’t stop wagging it so hard!” Rachel laughed.

  The spaniel gave a happy bark, turning its shaggy head to look lovingly at its owner. Wondering what was going on, Bouncer looked up from his bone and trotted over to join them. He sniffed curiously at Lauren, and she put out her little hand to stroke his nose.

  “I knew Sunny was around here somewhere,” Lauren told the girls. “I’m so glad you found him!”

  Rachel and Kirsty smiled.

  “Actually, he found us!” Rachel said.

  “Well, he found Bouncer,” added Kirsty. “We’ve been lucky today, though. We haven’t seen any goblins!”

  “Yes, this was the easiest pet rescue so far,” Rachel agreed.

  “Ha, ha, ha!” The sound of cruel giggling behind them made Kirsty, Rachel, Lauren, and even the puppies jump. Goblins!

  A shiny silver scooter was speeding along the path toward them. It was crowded with goblins! Two of them were using their feet to push the scooter along as fast as they could. Three others were balanced on their shoulders, wobbling back and forth as the scooter zoomed along.

  The girls and Lauren were taken by surprise! Before they could do anything, the scooter had crashed to a stop in front of them. The goblins tumbled off in a heap. One rolled toward Sunny, and another toward Bouncer.

  “Oof!” Lauren gasped as the first goblin pushed her off Sunny’s back, then snatched up the puppy.

  “Is this the magic puppy?” the goblin yelled to the others.

  “Don’t know!” they shouted back, looking from Sunny to Bouncer. “Grab both!”

  The first goblin leaped back on the scooter still clutching Sunny.

  “Put him down!” Lauren yelled angrily, scrambling to her feet.

  “Give him back!” shouted Rachel as the second goblin grabbed Bouncer, yanking the leash from Kirsty’s hand, and then jumped onto the scooter.

  “Catch us if you can!” jeered the goblins, whizzing away down the hill. The girls and Lauren watched as the scooter sped off, both puppies whimpering in fear.

  “Jack Frost is going to be very pleased with us when he sees the magic puppy,” one of the goblins shouted.

  “Hooray!” cheered his goblin friends.

  “We have to go after them!” Lauren declared, her face pale. “It will be quicker if I turn you into fairies, girls.”

  Kirsty and Rachel nodded. Hearts thumping, they waited as Lauren waved her wand and showered them with sparkling pink fairy dust. As soon as they were fairy-size, the girls fluttered up into the air to join their friend and chase down the goblins. But the goblins had a head start and were whizzing farther and farther away every second.

  “They’re getting away!” Rachel gasped.

  The goblins were heading in the direction of the bouncy castle. Rachel, Kirsty, and Lauren could see that all the children had been cleared off the castle, and it was slowly being deflated.

  Meanwhile, one of the goblins had climbed up onto the handlebars of the scooter and was yelling instructions at the others.

  “Turn left! No, not that way,” he roared furiously.

  The other goblins weren’t paying attention. They were struggling to hold the wriggling puppies and arguing loudly at the same time.

  “Not that way — this way!”

  “No, that’s not right!”

  One of the goblins grabbed the handlebars and tried to yank them in the opposite direction. The goblin who was perched there almost fell off! But the scooter still zoomed down the hill, pulling even farther away from Lauren, Rachel, and Kirsty.

  “Faster, girls!” Lauren called. “We must stop them!”

  Kirsty frowned. The goblins were so far ahead, it seemed almost impossible to catch up with them! Her gaze fell on the slowly deflating bouncy castle, and it gave her an idea. . . .

  “Lauren!” Kirsty cried breathlessly. “Bouncer and Sunny are only puppies, but aren’t the goblins scared of big dogs? I remember they were scared of Buttons, Rachel’s dog.”

  Lauren nodded.

  “Well, could you make a really big dog appear in front of the scooter?” Kirsty went on. “Maybe we can force the goblins to swerve and crash into the bouncy castle. That would slow them down!” />
  “Great idea, Kirsty!” Rachel said eagerly. Lauren was already lifting her wand.

  As the girls watched, a shower of glittery pink sparkles whooshed from the tip of Lauren’s wand toward the goblins. There was a puff of pink smoke, and just to the left of the scooter, a German shepherd appeared out of thin air. Rachel and Kirsty stared at it in surprise. This was no ordinary German shepherd. It was black with white stripes, just like a zebra!

  Woof! Woof! Woof! the dog barked loudly.

  The goblins screeched with fear.

  “A big, scary dog!” the one sitting on the handlebars yelled. “Quick, get away!”

  All the goblins grabbed the handlebars and wrenched them to the right. Immediately, the scooter careened away from the dog, straight toward the bouncy castle.

  “No!” shouted the goblin on the handlebars. “We’re going to crash!”

  But he was too late. As Lauren, Rachel, and Kirsty watched, the scooter hit the bouncy castle. The goblins went flying! The puppies barked and the goblins shrieked with anger, but they all landed safely on the castle, disappearing into its folds.

  Quickly, Lauren waved her wand to make the German shepherd disappear. Then she, Rachel, and Kirsty flew over to the bouncy castle.

  “It’s a good thing there’s hardly anyone around!” Kirsty said, looking relieved.

  “Yes, but what about the man who’s packing up the bouncy castle?” Rachel asked. “He’s sure to come back soon. How are we going to get the puppies and the goblins out of there?”

  Lauren, Kirsty, and Rachel hovered over the bouncy castle, wondering what to do. Then, to their relief, they suddenly heard a tiny bark.