Skyler the Fireworks Fairy

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  Cupcake Catastrophe

  Cross Your Fingers

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The Missing Magic

  Cupcake Crazy

  Super Delicious

  Perfect Parade

  No Sound like Silence

  Breakfast Ice Cream

  Calling All Kids!

  True Teamwork

  All Dressed Up

  Light up the Night

  Tiresome Troubles

  Even More Obstacles

  Scavengers!

  Firecracker Fake Out

  Boom, Bang, Sizzle, Cheer!

  Copyright

  Everyone likes to get away,

  To escape for a vacation or holiday.

  They go to a place that is sweet.

  They take it easy, have a well-earned treat.

  But I, Jack Frost, work day in and day out.

  It’s enough to make a dark wizard pout.

  Evil magic is not always easy for me.

  I want to relax and be leisurely.

  I’ll ruin people’s customs and the joy will be mine.

  Then I’ll take a vacation and life will be fine.

  I won’t stop until the fairies all see,

  That no one deserves a break more than me, me, me!

  Find the hidden letters in the stars throughout this book. Unscramble all 9 letters to spell a special fireworks word!

  “Quick! Cross your fingers,” Kirsty Tate declared. She gave her best friend, Rachel Walker, a meaningful glance. They were sitting in the backseat of the Tates’ family minivan. “You don’t want to jinx it.”

  Rachel nodded and they latched their fingers together. She knew Kirsty was right. Just because the two friends were going away together did not mean that they would get to have a fairy adventure. It was true that Rachel and Kirsty had been very lucky on vacations in the past. Together, they had shared a lot of fairy fun! Ever since they first met each other on Rainspell Island, they had met all kinds of fabulous fairies. They were even friends with Queen Titania and King Oberon, the kind and wise rulers of Fairyland. The queen and king often asked Kirsty and Rachel for help when things went wrong in the magical realm.

  “All crossed,” Rachel said with a smile, thinking about how fun it would be to meet a new fairy on their trip to see Kirsty’s grandparents. “I know it’s never a sure thing, but we can always hope.”

  “Hope for what?” Mrs. Tate asked from the front seat of the car.

  Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other again.

  “You know, Mom,” Kirsty answered. “We’re just hoping for good weather while we’re staying with Gran and Gramps.”

  Even though Kirsty and Rachel had helped all kinds of amazing fairies, they couldn’t tell anyone about them. Kirsty didn’t like to keep the truth from her parents, but the safety of Fairyland depended on it staying a secret.

  Both girls were hoping to make new fairy friends, but there were lots of other reasons to be excited for their upcoming stay with Kirsty’s grandparents. First of all, it was a chance for the girls to be together. They were best friends, but they did not live in the same town or go to the same school. Also, the town of Honeydown, where Kirsty’s grandparents had a country cottage, was a fascinating place with a lot of interesting history.

  “Even if the weather isn’t great, there are still lots of fun things to do,” Kirsty’s mom assured the girls. “I could spend days in the Fireworks Factory Museum.”

  “Mom, you could spend days in any museum,” Kirsty replied with a loving smirk, “but that one is pretty cool. There was a famous old fireworks designer who lived in Honeydown, and the town turned his old workshop and factory into a museum,” Kirsty explained to Rachel.

  “Oh! I love fireworks,” Rachel said. “I love the booming sound and the way the explosions vibrate in your stomach. And I love all the dazzling colors and shapes.”

  “Well, Rachel,” Mr. Tate said, “this will be a real treat for you, because the town’s birthday is this week, and there is a ton of stuff planned. There will be a cupcake social, a parade, and then a huge fireworks display on the last night.”

  “I can’t wait!” Rachel exclaimed.

  Mrs. Tate turned around and looked at them from the front seat. “You two will have a wonderful time. I wish we could stay the whole week, but Gran and Gramps will take good care of you.”

  “You’ll be back for the fireworks, won’t you?” Kirsty asked.

  “We wouldn’t miss it,” Mr. Tate promised. “I remember the Honeydown fireworks from when I was a kid. They’re the best!”

  The next thing they knew, everyone was piling out of the Tates’ minivan and heading to the door of a beautiful cottage. There was a walkway with large stepping-stones, and an ivy-covered arch over the doorway. The roof was even covered in grass! Rachel couldn’t help but think that it looked like something straight out of Fairyland. She was so excited to be there, it was as if tiny fireworks were going off inside her brain!

  Then, as soon as she closed her car door, she thought she heard a real firework. Very tiny, but very real.

  “Did you hear that?” Rachel asked Kirsty, looking around.

  Kirsty shook her head.

  “It sounded like a firework,” Rachel whispered.

  “They might be testing some, before the big celebration this weekend,” Kirsty explained. She didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.

  Rachel nodded, but she didn’t think that was it. The noise had not sounded like a large firework. It had sounded small, but very close. Something about it gave her goose bumps.

  “Well, hello!” Gran and Gramps called from the open door. “Welcome!” They waved, their faces creased with bright smiles.

  As Rachel went to greet Kirsty’s grandparents, she convinced herself that her ears were playing tricks on her. After all, she hadn’t been able to get her mind off of fairies all morning.

  Kirsty’s grandparents led everyone inside. They had laid out a lunch of turkey sandwiches and potato salad, with chocolate cake for dessert.

  * * *

  After lunch, Rachel fiddled with her napkin, distracted. She had heard tiny explosions all through lunch. She was having a hard time concentrating, and Gran and Gramps kept asking her lots of questions.

  “We are thrilled to be sharing this special week with you girls,” Gramps said as he dished out some extra-tall pieces of triple-chocolate cake.

  “None for me, thank you,” Rachel said. “The lunch was delicious, and I’m full right now.”

  Kirsty looked at her friend, concerned. Rachel had a faraway look in her eyes. Kirsty was confused. It wasn’t like Rachel to turn down dessert! They both loved tasty treats, especially after a healthy meal.

  “Could we please be excused?” Kirsty asked, glancing from her grandparents to her parents. “We still need to bring in our suitcases, and I’d love to show Rachel where we’ll be sleeping.”

  “No cake for you, either?” Gramps asked, looking disappointed. “It’s our favorite family recipe.”

  “Maybe we could have some this afternoon? It will taste especially good after we get settled in,” Kirsty said. She absolutely loved chocolate cake, but she had a feeling she and Rachel should have a talk, in private.

  “Of course, dear,” Gran said with a sweet smile. “We’re about to talk about lots of people you don’t know, anyway. You know, adult stuff.”

  “Thank you,” Kirsty said, scooting out her chair. She tapped Rachel on the shoulder, and Rachel also scooted back. “We’ll be outside.”

  “Don’t go too far,” Mrs. Tate called after they’d left the room. “Your dad and I will
have to head back before too long.”

  “We won’t,” Kirsty assured her mom, but then Rachel grabbed her hand, tugged her through the door, and ran toward the garden at full speed.

  “Rachel, what is it?” Kirsty asked as the two girls raced across the lawn.

  “I’m not sure,” Rachel admitted when they finally came to a stop. “But something told me we just had to get outside and into the garden.” Rachel tried to catch her breath. “I just couldn’t sit there anymore.”

  “I understand. I started to feel the same way,” Kirsty shared. “It was like I could hear tiny explosions in my head all through lunch. Is that what you were talking about when we first got here?”

  “Do they start with a soft fizzing sound and then get louder?” Rachel asked.

  Kirsty nodded.

  “I think we’re both hearing the same thing! I’m glad it’s not just in my head,” Rachel said. “I think they’re coming from over there.” Rachel motioned to a large collection of garden gnomes that decorated the south end of the yard.

  “Oh, they’re so funny,” Kirsty said, admiring their brightly colored hats and round faces. “Gran has so many gnomes now!”

  The two friends hurried toward the garden gnomes. “The fizzing is getting louder,” Rachel said.

  The tallest gnome had a lopsided grin and polka-dotted suspenders. Kirsty noticed a faint stream of sparkles beginning to shoot up from his pointy red hat.

  Kirsty looked at her friend. Rachel gave her an encouraging smile. Kirsty reached out. Just as her hand brushed against the garden gnome, a series of tiny, sparkling fireworks erupted into the air. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  As soon as the fireworks dissipated, a small fairy appeared, her glittery wings lifting her into the air. The wand she held was spouting rainbow sparkles that lit up like fireworks. The fairy looked sporty and fun in red capri pants, and a purple-and-white striped shirt. Her light-brown skin practically glowed, and her wavy brown hair cascaded past her shoulders.

  “Hooray! You’re here!” the fairy cheered. “I was getting worried, waiting so long, but all my friends back in Fairyland said I could count on you. It’s my pleasure to finally meet you, Kirsty and Rachel. My name is Skyler the Fireworks Fairy.”

  The girls took turns introducing themselves. Finally, Kirsty asked the question that was on both their minds. “Skyler, what are you doing here in Honeydown?” she wondered.

  Kirsty and Rachel exchanged looks of concern. “Is Jack Frost up to his old tricks again?” The girls could hardly count the times they’d had to go up against him and his troublemaking goblins.

  “You guessed it!” Skyler announced, pointing her wand at Kirsty. “It all started when he complained about being tired and bored. One of his goblins suggested that he might need a vacation. Jack Frost really liked the idea.” Skyler put her hands on her hips, and a scowl replaced the smile on her face. “Now, there’s nothing wrong with taking vacations, but there’s nothing right about what Jack Frost and the goblins did next. Here, you can see for yourself. My magic bubble will replay the important scenes for us.”

  Skyler lifted her wand, and out burst a pale blue firework that grew to the size of a large puddle. When the sparkles faded, a clear bubble was in its place. Inside the bubble was a picture. Kirsty and Rachel recognized the location at once. They were staring at the inside of Jack Frost’s Ice Castle! Jack Frost was listening closely to one of the goblins.

  “I miss the vacations I took when I was little,” the goblin pouted, his green face mopey. “We’d go to small towns, and there would be candy and gift shops, funny parades in the town square, and a lot of time to just run around and be silly.”

  The girls watched the bubble. Inside, Jack Frost nodded his head as the goblin continued. Just then, another goblin spoke up. “Yes! I love how they’d have all kinds of little traditions that made everything seem fun. Like bird-watching every Saturday morning and eating toasted bogmallows right after!”

  Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other uncertainly. The girls couldn’t picture a noisy goblin going bird-watching. They’d scare away all the birds! But the other goblins soon started to get excited, too. “Yes! We need reminders of all the fun stuff. Parades! Decorations! Sweet treats! The stuff that makes little celebrations feel festive!”

  “That’s it!” Jack Frost exclaimed. “I want to go to a place that lets me feel like a kid again!”

  “That’s funny,” Kirsty said. “That’s exactly how my grandparents describe Honeydown.”

  “Exactly,” Skyler said, hovering over the girls’ shoulders. “That’s why they are all here. It sounds fine, right? Almost sweet, but then they had to be selfish and ruin it.” The picture in the magic bubble quickly changed. Now it showed a cozy toadstool cottage with a red polka-dotted roof. “That’s my house,” Skyler explained. “And those goblins were not invited.”

  Rachel and Kirsty gasped as they watched what happened next. The goblins snuck into the house and stole three items, one by one.

  “Jack Frost sent them after my three magic objects, because he wanted to make sure he would have the most perfect vacation getaway ever. As the Fireworks Fairy, it’s my job to protect life’s little traditions. I’m in charge of all those things that the goblins were just talking about!” Skyler’s tiny hands closed into fists and she shook them. “But my magic doesn’t really work if I don’t have the objects. I can’t help make things festive and fun, and I can’t keep things from going horribly wrong.”

  All at once, the bubble picture popped.

  “Oh, great!” Skyler complained. “Now that’s not working, either.”

  “Don’t worry.” Rachel quickly comforted the fairy. “I think we got the idea. The goblins are trying to create a cozy, fun vacation for Jack Frost, so they stole your magic objects.”

  “Yes,” Skyler said with a sigh. “And when I tried to stop them, Jack Frost suddenly appeared and created a whirlwind of icy magic. That wind picked up all the goblins and sent them into the human world, so it would be harder for me to find them.”

  “You think the goblins are here? In Honeydown?” Kirsty asked, looking around nervously.

  “Yes, and they have my objects. Will you help me find them?” Skyler asked.

  Kirsty and Rachel agreed at once. It sounded like they had another fairy mission!

  “Why do they need the magic objects?” Rachel wondered. “Why can’t Jack Frost just go on vacation without bothering anyone else?”

  “That’s a good question,” Skyler said. “I’m not sure what he has planned. But I do know that until we get my objects back, the fun traditions of vacation will be ruined for everyone!”

  “OK,” Skyler began. Her tone had suddenly turned very businesslike. “As you know, there isn’t much time. This whole week is jam-packed with fun events in Honeydown. As long as the goblins have my objects, anything could go wrong.” The fairy paced in midair, her wings fluttering in time to an imaginary military march.

  Kirsty and Rachel listened closely as Skyler filled them in on the details of their task.

  “First, we need to find my magic cupcake,” Skyler explained. “You know how you need to follow a recipe to make a great cake?” The girls nodded. “You also need to have a plan for traditions. Without thinking things through, they won’t turn out they way you want them, and then no one will be happy.”

  “That makes sense,” Kirsty said. “We’ll try to find that first.”

  “What are the other magic objects?” Rachel asked. “Just so we’ll be prepared.”

  “The second is a string of bunting,” answered Skyler.

  “Bunting? What’s that?” Kirsty wondered.

  “You’ve seen bunting before,” Skyler assured her. “Bunting is all those strings of cute, colorful triangles hanging around town. Bunting is often used at the opening of a new store, or a used-car lot.”

  “Oh, I love that!” Kirsty responded. “It looks so happy. I just never knew its name before.”

  “And th
e last object is my magic sparkler,” Skyler said. “You’ll be able to tell it’s mine because it never goes out.”

  Both girls nodded, feeling relieved that they had a plan for rescuing everyone’s fun-filled vacation celebrations.

  “Now, if you don’t mind,” Skyler said, “I’d like to focus on our first object. There’s still a lot of planning necessary for Honeydown’s birthday bash, so I want to get the magic cupcake back to Fairyland safe and sound.”

  “You can count on us,” Rachel said confidently.

  Just then, the door to the grass-roofed cottage opened. Kirsty’s grandparents and parents came out. “I don’t understand why you would make the cake without a recipe. That’s just silly,” Gran said in a playful, but scolding tone. “If it’s an old family recipe, you need to follow the recipe.”

  Gramps didn’t respond. He just shuffled around looking grumpy.

  “Uh-oh,” Skyler said. “It looks like the troubles are already starting.”

  “And it looks like my parents are leaving,” Kirsty pointed out.

  “Quick, Skyler, you can hide in my pocket,” Rachel offered, tugging on the loose fabric of her shirt so the fairy could slip right in.

  The girls hurried over and gave the Tates big hugs.

  “I can’t believe we won’t see you until the weekend,” Mrs. Tate said, kissing Kirsty on the head.

  “I’m sure you’ll find a way to keep busy,” Mr. Tate added.

  “I’m sure we will,” Kirsty said with a giggle as she snuck a glance at the little lump in Rachel’s shirt pocket.

  As soon as Kirsty’s parents had driven off, Gramps pulled out his own car keys. “Well, since my cake ended up tasting like stale toothpaste and cough syrup, I’m going into town. I’m still hungry, and they have the cupcake social today.”

  “A social? What is that?” Rachel asked.