Roxie the Baking Fairy Read online

  Kirsty glanced helplessly around the beach for inspiration. Suddenly, she spotted a seagull hopping across the sand. He looked familiar!

  “Roxie, that’s the seagull who helped us get Josie the Jewelry Fairy’s magic ribbon back!” Kirsty explained quickly. “Could you ask him to fly after the goblins and pull the cookie cutter out of the cake with his beak?”

  “That’s a great idea, Kirsty!” Roxie agreed. She flew over to the seagull and began whispering to him while the girls waited. The seagull cocked his head to one side, listening carefully to what Roxie was saying and squawking a reply. Then, spreading his enormous white wings, he launched himself into the air.

  “The seagull says he remembers the goblins, and he’s glad to help,” Roxie told the girls. “Let’s hope this works!”

  The seagull was already hovering above the goblins’ boat as it bobbed up and down on the waves. As Roxie and the girls watched hopefully, the seagull swooped down, his dark eyes fixed on the cake.

  The goblins shrieked in fear. “Go away, you horrible bird!” the biggest goblin yelled, trying to swat the seagull away.

  “He’s trying to eat our cake!” another goblin shrieked.

  The seagull lunged for the cake as the goblins flailed, trying to frighten him. The seagull tried again, but two of the goblins snatched the cake away just in time. The seagull missed the cake — instead, his beak jabbed into the side of the boat, putting a hole in it!

  There was a loud hissing sound as the boat began to deflate.

  “Oh, no!” Rachel cried. “We have to do something fast, or the boat will sink . . .”

  “. . . Taking the cake, Roxie’s magic cookie cutter, and the goblins with it!” Kirsty added.

  The goblins were starting to panic.

  “Our boat’s sinking!” the biggest goblin shouted. “We’ll have to swim for it!”

  “Goblins can’t swim!” another one yelled. “And, we can’t leave the cake behind, anyway!”

  “Roxie, we need a boat so we can row out and rescue the goblins,” Rachel told the little fairy.

  Roxie immediately waved her wand, creating a cloud of fairy magic. When the sparkles faded, another inflatable boat had appeared on the beach. The girls pushed the boat into the shallow water, then jumped in and grabbed the oars. They began to row toward the goblins, with Roxie flying overhead.

  “Help!” the biggest goblin shrieked when he spotted the girls. “We’re going to drown!”

  “No, you’re not,” Rachel said firmly. “We’re going to save you. But first, you need to give Roxie her magic cookie cutter back!”

  The biggest goblin looked unsure, but the others turned on him.

  “Give it back!” they yelled.

  The biggest goblin dug the cookie cutter out of the icing and held it up. With a cry of joy, Roxie swooped down to grab it. At the touch of her tiny fingers, the cookie cutter shrank down to its fairy size.

  The girls rowed closer so the goblins could scramble aboard their boat, bringing the cake with them.

  “The icing’s starting to melt!” the big-eared goblin groaned miserably. “The lighthouse and the surfers have fallen over.”

  “The cake is ruined!” whined the biggest goblin.

  “But I bet it still tastes good,” Kirsty reassured them.

  Fluttering high above, Roxie used her magic to divide the cake into slices, and they each had a piece as the girls rowed back to shore.

  “Mmm, it’s yummy!” the goblins declared, their green faces sticky with icing. They were still munching away when the girls and Roxie left them on the beach. Rachel and Kirsty ran back to the bakery, with Roxie hidden in the pocket of Rachel’s shorts.

  The kitchen was filled with delicious smells when Rachel and Kirsty walked in.

  “Girls, we’ve been busy while you were away!” Ben declared.

  Rachel and Kirsty were thrilled to see that the counters were covered with delicious-looking cakes and cookies.

  Everything was going smoothly now that Roxie had her magic cookie cutter back! The girls quickly put on their aprons and chefs’ hats, with Roxie taking her place in Kirsty’s apron pocket again, and then they got to work. Rachel made her lemon drizzle cake, and Kirsty baked a tray of golden-brown sugar cookies. Then, thanks to Roxie whispering helpful instructions, they made a big batch of cupcakes decorated with beach-themed shapes — fish, seashells, lighthouses, and even surfers.

  “These are beautiful, girls,” Ben said when they’d finished. “I’ll pack them up and get them ready for the exhibition.”

  Rachel and Kirsty took a quick look at the other cakes as Ben packed them up.

  “This sandcastle cake is amazing!” Rachel marvelled. The cake had towers and turrets, just like a real sandcastle, and it was covered in gold icing with a flag in the top.

  “Who made it?” Kirsty asked.

  “I did,” said one of the helpers, a girl named Jenna. “Ben said I should enter it in the competition.”

  “Definitely — you should win a prize!” Kirsty told her.

  As everyone took off their aprons, Roxie tugged at Kirsty’s sleeve. “Are you coming to Fairyland to see the Magical Crafts Week exhibition?” she asked.

  “We wouldn’t miss it for anything!” Kirsty replied. Calling good-bye to Ben and the others, the girls hurried outside. Then Roxie’s magic swept them away to Fairyland!

  The crafts exhibition was being held in the Fairyland Palace. The room was packed with fairies, including King Oberon and Queen Titania, who were viewing the display. When Roxie, Rachel, and Kirsty arrived, everyone cheered.

  “Girls, you saved our Crafts Week!” declared Kayla the Pottery Fairy.

  “What good, true friends you are,” said Queen Titania with a sweet smile.

  “Thanks to you, we have lots of entries for the competition,” King Oberon added. “It’s going to be very difficult to choose a winner.”

  Roxie, Kirsty, and Rachel looked around the exhibition. There were all kinds of beautiful craft projects. The Rainbow Fairies had entered colorful paintings and drawings.

  The Fashion Fairies had designed and sewn bright, glittering dresses.

  As the king and queen discussed the entries they’d seen so far, Rachel and Kirsty saw Cherry the Cake Fairy rush in, followed by the Sugar and Spice Fairies. They were all carrying cakes on gold platters.

  “Roxie got her magic cookie cutter back just in time!” Cherry cried. Her spectacular cake was shaped like the Fairyland Palace, complete with four pink towers made of icing.

  “Otherwise our baking would have been a total disaster,” added Coco the Cupcake Fairy. She held up a plate of cupcakes decorated with miniature fairies that had glittery wings.

  Suddenly, a blast of cold air swirled around the room. Seconds later, Jack Frost stormed in, carrying the self-portrait he’d done at Polly Painterly’s workshop under his arm. He was also carrying a snowflake-shaped cake, a notebook, a necklace made of icicles, a sketch of his Ice Castle, a clay pot with a white glaze, and a flowing, ice-blue cloak. “I’m entering all the categories!” Jack Frost said with a smug sneer. “My crafts are the best, so I’m going to win first prize!”

  Just then, King Oberon stepped forward. “The queen and I are happy to announce the winner of Magical Crafts Week,” he said. “First prize goes to Cherry the Cake Fairy for her wonderful cake!”

  The fairies applauded, but Jack Frost stomped his foot.

  “NO!” he roared furiously. “What’s the point of doing crafts at all if I don’t win the competition?”

  “The point is to have fun!” Rachel told him. “Did you enjoy doing your crafts?”

  Jack Frost frowned. “Well . . . yes,” he admitted reluctantly. “I especially liked painting my self-portrait.”

  “Trying something new and having fun is the best part,” Kirsty said. “That�
�s what really counts. Why don’t you hang your self-portrait in your bedroom? Then you can look at it all the time!”

  Jack Frost stroked his frozen beard thoughtfully. “Yes, I could do that,” he said at last, his icy face breaking into a smile. Then he went off happily to his Ice Castle, taking his crafts with him.

  “Girls, thank you a million times over for your help!” Roxie said gratefully, giving them both a hug. “Magical Crafts Week really has been magical because of you. And now,” Roxie went on, her eyes twinkling, “you have your own exhibition to attend, so it’s probably time for you to go!”

  The other fairies gathered around as Roxie prepared to send Rachel and Kirsty back to Rainspell Island with her magic.

  “Congratulations, Cherry,” Rachel called. “Good-bye, everybody!”

  “Great job, Cherry,” Kirsty said. “See you all again soon!”

  And with their fairy friends all waving good-bye, the girls were whisked away to Rainspell Island. In the blink of an eye, they found themselves next to the exhibition tent.

  “Here come our parents!” Rachel said, spotting her mom and dad and Mr. and Mrs. Tate walking down the boardwalk. “We’re just in time.”

  “Hello, girls,” called Kirsty’s dad. “Can’t wait to taste all the treats you’ve been baking!”

  “Let’s look at the exhibition first,” Mrs. Tate said with a smile.

  Inside the tent, all the best crafts from the week were on display. Kirsty’s painting had been hung on a board with other paintings, and Rachel’s notebook had been left open on a table so that everyone could read her story. Jenna’s sandcastle cake was there, too, along with pencil sketches of Rainspell Island, silver bracelets and earrings from the jewelry workshop, some glazed clay pots, and sewing projects, including a patchwork quilt of Rainspell Island.

  After admiring the displays, the girls and their parents joined the line of people lining up for refreshments.

  “Girls, these cupcakes are delicious!” Mr. Tate told them, taking a big bite.

  Toward the end of the afternoon, Artie Johnson called for silence in the tent so that she could announce the results of the competition.

  “What a difficult but very enjoyable job our judges have had today,” Artie said with a smile. “First prize goes to Jenna Barker for her wonderful sandcastle cake!”

  Beaming, Jenna hurried forward to accept her prize — a set of craft books — while everyone applauded.

  “Now we have a joint second prize to award,” Artie continued. “But I know these two girls are great friends, so they won’t mind sharing this lovely jewelry-making kit. Second prize goes to Kirsty Tate for her painting Rachel Under a Rainbow, and to Rachel Walker for her story Rainbow Fairies!”

  Thrilled, the girls went up to receive their prizes.

  “I hope all of you have enjoyed Crafts Week,” Artie said as the girls rejoined their parents. “I’m sure you’ve loved trying new crafts. And I’ve really enjoyed organizing everything, too — it’s been a truly magical week!”

  Rachel and Kirsty glanced at each other and shared a secret smile. As Artie said, it really had been a magical week. And both girls silently hoped that there were many more magical adventures ahead with their fairy friends!

  Rachel and Kirsty have found all of the Magical Crafts Fairies’ missing magic objects. Now it’s time for them to help

  Join their next adventure in this special sneak peek. . . .

  “This is the house,” said Rachel Walker, pointing up at a tall, white townhouse.

  A bunch of pink balloons was tied to the gate, and there was another bunch pinned to the front door. Rachel smoothed down her party dress and smiled at her best friend, Kirsty Tate. Kirsty was staying with Rachel during her school vacation.

  “It was really nice of your friends to invite me to their birthday parties,” said Kirsty. “I’ve never been to two in one day before!”

  Rachel’s school friends Jessy and Amy were twins, and they were having two separate birthday parties — one for each of them.

  “Jessy and Amy’s parents are really fun,” Rachel said as they walked up to the front door. “They’re letting Jessy have her party this morning, and Amy have hers this afternoon. The twins like different music and decorations, and their mom and dad wanted to make sure they were both happy!”

  She knocked on the door and it was opened by a pretty girl with long blonde hair and big blue eyes. She was wearing a sparkly pink party dress and there was a pink bow in her hair.

  “Happy birthday, Jessy!” said Rachel.

  “Thanks,” said Jessy with a smile. “This must be Kirsty? Hi!”

  “Hi, and happy birthday,” said Kirsty.

  Jessy invited them in. There were pink balloons pinned into every corner and the guests were dancing to music. A table was piled high with presents wrapped in pink paper.

  “Those are the prizes for the party games,” Jessy said, seeing Rachel looking at them.

  Kirsty peeked into the kitchen and saw a tray full of pink gelatin treats on the dining table.

  “Pink’s my favorite color,” said Jessy with a smile. “Can you tell?”

  The girls laughed and gave Jessy their presents. Then another girl came over and gave Rachel a hug.

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  e-ISBN 978-0-545-72323-7

  Copyright © 2014 by Rainbow Magic Limited.

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with Rainbow Magic Limited.

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  First Scholastic printing, March 2015

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