This Other Side of Magic is the second in a series of light fantasy chapter books set in Morgantown, a town on the border between the real world and the magical world, by the authors of the Publishers Weekly best selling BAILEY SCHOOL KIDS—a series of 50 books with more than 30 million copies sold!
"I need your help, Natalie," Mr. Leery said. "Yours and Penny's and Luke's."
Natalie is surprised to learn from her neighbor, Mr. Leery, that her classmates Penny and Luke are apprentice Keyholders. A Keyholder's job is to guard the border between the real world and the magical world. Natalie is even more surprised when she finds out that she could be a Keyholder too—if she forms a "link" with a rat named Buttercup.
Will Natalie choose to join the Keyholders? Can she, Penny, and Luke learn how to work together with their links and protect the border from the goblins sent by the evil Queen of the Boggarts?
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
This Other Side of Magic is the second in a series of light fantasy chapter books set in Morgantown, a town on the border between the real world and the magical world, by the authors of the Publishers Weekly best selling BAILEY SCHOOL KIDS—a series of 50 books with more than 30 million copies sold!
"I need your help, Natalie," Mr. Leery said. "Yours and Penny's and Luke's."
Natalie is surprised to learn from her neighbor, Mr. Leery, that her classmates Penny and Luke are apprentice Keyholders. A Keyholder's job is to guard the border between the real world and the magical world. Natalie is even more surprised when she finds out that she could be a Keyholder too—if she forms a "link" with a rat named Buttercup.
Will Natalie choose to join the Keyholders? Can she, Penny, and Luke learn how to work together with their links and protect the border from the goblins sent by the evil Queen of the Boggarts?
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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Overview
This Other Side of Magic is the second in a series of light fantasy chapter books set in Morgantown, a town on the border between the real world and the magical world, by the authors of the Publishers Weekly best selling BAILEY SCHOOL KIDS—a series of 50 books with more than 30 million copies sold!
"I need your help, Natalie," Mr. Leery said. "Yours and Penny's and Luke's."
Natalie is surprised to learn from her neighbor, Mr. Leery, that her classmates Penny and Luke are apprentice Keyholders. A Keyholder's job is to guard the border between the real world and the magical world. Natalie is even more surprised when she finds out that she could be a Keyholder too—if she forms a "link" with a rat named Buttercup.
Will Natalie choose to join the Keyholders? Can she, Penny, and Luke learn how to work together with their links and protect the border from the goblins sent by the evil Queen of the Boggarts?
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781429926096 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tor Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 04/28/2009 |
| Series: | Keyholders Series , #2 |
| Sold by: | Macmillan |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 144 |
| Lexile: | 600L (what's this?) |
| File size: | 2 MB |
| Age Range: | 7 - 10 Years |
About the Author
DEBBIE DADEY taught first grade before becoming a librarian. It was while teaching that she first realized how much she wanted to write a book for reluctant readers. Her first book, co-authored with fellow teacher Marcia Thornton Jones, was the result of a very bad day. Since then, Debbie and Marcia have collaborated on more than 125 books with sales of over forty million copies. Their books include the Keyholders series, beginning with This Side of Magic and The Other Side of Magic. Debbie lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband, three dogs, and three children.
MARCIA THORNTON JONES enjoys reading more than anything else. As a teacher, her favorite part of the school day was sharing books with her students. It was that love of reading that drew her to writing. She wanted to write the same kinds of stories that she and her students enjoyed reading. One afternoon she mentioned to the school librarian that she’d always had an interest in writing. The librarian, Debbie Dadey, shared a common desire to write stories that would encourage reading skills while promoting a true joy of reading. The next afternoon, Marcia and Debbie met while their students were at lunch and began writing. That story, Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots, became the first book in their bestselling series, The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids.
Marcia lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her husband, Stephen, and their two cats.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
"Can she breathe? Quick! Somebody do CPR!" Buttercup the rat cried, putting her paws on her cheeks in rat panic. She gnawed on Natalie's shoelaces.
Natalie sat in a kitchen chair in the middle of Mr. Leery's kitchen. Her mouth opened and closed like a guppy, but no sounds came out. A pink notebook slipped from her lap and smacked onto the floor, startling the rat on her sneakers.
Penny and Luke stared at Natalie. They had never gotten along with their neighbor and fifth-grade classmate, mostly because she always bragged about everything her dad bought her. But that didn't mean they liked seeing Natalie gasping for breath.
"Well, this is going well," Mo said sarcastically. Mr. Leery's black cat sat on top of the counter. He lifted a huge paw and casually cleaned the tuft of hair between his ears.
"Hush, Mo," Mr. Leery said. "The girl has suffered a shock. Give her time to get used to the idea. I'm sure she'll be fine."
"Natalie Lawson has never been fine," Luke muttered. "And she's never been speechless, either."
Penny swatted Luke on the arm. "Well, there's a first time for everything," she said. "Now, be nice."
"Why?" Luke asked. "It's Natalie. She's never nice to us."
"Oh dear, oh dear," Mr. Leery said, bending down in front of Natalie and snapping his fingers in front of her eyes. "Talk to me, child."
Natalie's eyes slowly focused on the old man. For as long as anyone could remember, Mr. Leery had lived in this small cottage at the dead end of the last street in Morgantown. Everyone thought he was harmless. Luke and Penny knew he was much more than that, and now Natalie was beginning to find out how deceiving looks could be.
"Rats," Natalie mumbled as she gradually remembered where she was. "I saw rats. Here. Your house. It's infested. With rats. Must tell. My father."
"No, no, no," Luke said. "Don't you remember a word of what we told you?"
Penny and Luke had helped Mr. Leery explain everything to Natalie. But as soon as she'd seen the dragon and unicorn she'd totally blanked out.
"This isn't a rat," Penny said, pointing to the animal perched on Natalie's shoe.
"Yes, it is," Mo purred. "A big, fat, juicy one."
Buttercup squeaked and gnawed on the lace edge of Natalie's sock.
"Shh, Mo," Mr. Leery said. "You're not helping."
Penny started over. "Okay. This is a rat. But it's not a normal everyday kind of rat. She's your link. Just like Kirin is my link."
At the sound of her name, a unicorn clomped into the kitchen from the living room to gaze at Natalie. "How many times do we have to go over this?" the unicorn snapped. "I'm hungry."
"And Dracula is my link," Luke added, ignoring Kirin's complaint.
"That's me! That's me!" sang a dragon the size of a Doberman pinscher as he flapped into the kitchen. The kitchen was too small for his wings and he ruffled everyone's hair as he searched for a place to land.
"They came from the other side of the border," Penny explained.
Everyone in Morgantown knew about the thorny bushes at the edge of their town that had been there for as long as they could remember. What they didn't realize was that the bushes formed a magical border between what was real and what was magic. The only people who were allowed to know were the Keyholders, a force of three whose job it was to maintain the border.
"Mr. Leery chose us as the new Keyholders," Luke said. "It's going to be our job to make sure magic stays out of our world."
"To be a Keyholder you have to be chosen by a link from the other side of magic," Mr. Leery added. "And this very special creature chose you."
Natalie glanced down at Buttercup. The rat stopped gnawing long enough to give Natalie a small wave with her paw. The color disappeared from Natalie's face and she shuddered. She looked up. Her eyes landed on the unicorn peering over Penny's shoulder.
"Back up," Penny told the unicorn. "Give Natalie some room to breathe."
When Kirin took a step backward, she trampled Dracula's tail. Dracula swooped up, knocking over a pitcher of water on the counter. Buttercup squeaked as the pitcher smashed to the floor within inches of her tail. Kirin automatically tossed her head at the high-pitched sound, her horn catching in the curtains and ripping them off the window.
"Enough!" Mr. Leery bellowed and raised his arms. The room fell silent.
Except for Natalie. Natalie whimpered.
"I would not have placed this burden on you at this time if it wasn't an emergency," Mr. Leery said. "But it is. Two Keyholders are gone and I can no longer protect the border by myself. My magic is not strong enough alone. Already the border is weakening. I need your help, Natalie. Yours and Penny's and Luke's. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait to have your official ceremony. For now, I will give you this for ... protection." Mr. Leery pulled the bracelet from his wrist. It was silver like Penny's and Luke's, but this one had a purple stone. It was a perfect match to the collar dangling from Buttercup's neck, the very one that used to hang on Mo.
"That silver will keep the boggarts and goblins away," Kirin said with a nod of her horn. "That and bells work every time."
Dracula flapped his wings so that he could hop up and down. "Bells! Bells! I like bells!"
"But I don't want to be what you said," Natalie whispered. "A Keyholder."
"Too late," Luke said. "You already are one. The rat picked you."
Buttercup spit out a shoelace. "Just barely in time. I say, barely in time," she babbled. "Because the Queen of the Boggarts is out to get us, one and all!"
CHAPTER 2
Natalie blinked as if she were waking up from a nightmare. Then she looked at Mr. Leery. "Why does Penny have a unicorn for a link and Luke gets a dragon? And why do I have an r-a-t?" She spelled the word so she wouldn't have to say it.
"Because that is the link who chose you," Mr. Leery said patiently.
"But it's not fair!" Natalie wailed. "I'm going to tell my father!"
"No!" everyone shouted at once. Everyone except Dracula. The dragon burped, sending a tendril of flame across the counter. A kitchen towel shot up in flames.
"Oh, bother," Kirin said and slapped her silky tail over the flames to smother them.
When Mr. Leery kneeled in front of Natalie, the rat scooted under the table. Mr. Leery held Natalie's hands in his own. "You cannot tell anyone," Mr. Leery said. "The life of a Keyholder is one of secrecy. It's the way it must be."
"Besides, your dad would think you're crazy," Penny told her.
"Maybe I am," Natalie said. "I think you're making this whole thing up. I bet this unicorn is some sort of costume and the dragon is a big robot. This is just a practical joke you're playing on me. You've never liked me and now you're trying to embarrass me. If you think I'm falling for this, you can think again. Where's the camera? You better not be planning on plastering this on the Internet. You'll be sorry because I'll tell my father, and he's a judge."
Natalie pulled her hands away from Mr. Leery and jumped up so fast Mr. Leery sat back on the floor. She pushed past Penny, grabbed Kirin's horn and pulled. Hard. "This is a costume. Right?"
The moment Natalie touched Kirin, the unicorn tossed her head back. "That's plain rude," Kirin said. "Nobody touches a unicorn, except of course, a link."
"Very funny," Natalie said. "Who's under that costume? Is that your sister, Luke? And some of her friends?"
"Kirin is real," Penny said. "Just like Dracula."
"What kind of name is Dracula for a dragon?" Natalie snapped.
Kirin defended her friend. "Dracula is a very old and powerful name. Just because some humdrums tried to ruin it doesn't mean it's bad."
"What's that word? Humdrum. What are you talking about?" Natalie demanded with a stomp of her foot.
"You," Kirin said simply.
"How dare you call me names? Wait until my father finds out. That's considered bullying, you know," Natalie fumed.
"No, no, no," Mr. Leery said, pulling himself up from the floor. "Humdrums are what people from this side of the border are called."
"You know. Regular people," Luke added.
"Kirin and Dracula are from the other side. They're magical," Penny added.
Natalie glared at Dracula. "I don't believe a word you're saying. Aren't dragons supposed to be bigger?"
Dracula bounced up and down on the kitchen counter. The wooden cabinets groaned under his weight. His head tapped the ceiling with every bounce, leaving a dark spot on the paint. "Bigger soon. I get bigger. Eat more turkberries."
"No!" Luke told him. "No more turkberries. You know they make you sneeze."
"He can't be real," Natalie said. "I bet it's some kind of robot. Is this your science project or something?" Natalie took three giant steps across the kitchen to pull on Dracula's red nose.
"Ouch!" Dracula bellowed. "What's the big idea? I need that nose. How else can I breathe fire?"
"Breathe fire?" Natalie squeaked, beginning to feel dizzy from all the magic.
"Of course," said Dracula. "I've got the best fire breath for a dragon my age. Want to see? Look! I'll show you!"
"No!" shouted Luke. "We don't want to burn down Mr. Leery's house."
Natalie looked from Dracula to Luke to Kirin to Penny to the black cat named Mo. "What about the cat?" Natalie asked.
"Hands off," Mo warned. "I'm with Leery."
"You talk!" Natalie said. "I knew it!"
"Mo is a very special ... cat," Mr. Leery told Natalie.
"Then it's real?" Natalie asked the links. "You're all real?"
"As real as the math test on Friday," Luke told her.
Natalie stumbled back to the chair and sat down with a giant oomph. As soon as she did, Buttercup scurried out from under the table and gnawed on Natalie's already frayed shoelace.
Natalie looked down at the rat on her sneakers. Then she looked up hopefully at Kirin. "Couldn't we trade?" Natalie begged. "I'd be a much better link for a unicorn than Penny. I have a huge room over my garage where you could sleep. Whatever you like to eat, I can get it for you. I'm so rich, I could build you your own stable. Or even a castle."
"Stop trying to steal my unicorn," Penny snapped. She knew she sounded mean, but just the thought of losing Kirin felt like someone punching her in the stomach.
"Don't worry about her," Kirin said. She didn't even look at Natalie. Instead, the unicorn turned her head toward Penny. Penny could see a small reflection of herself in Kirin's liquid blue eyes. "A unicorn is faithful," Kirin said. "I will always be your link. Always."
"Well," said Natalie, turning to look at the red-nosed dragon. "Then I'll take the dragon."
"Take me? Take me?" Dracula screeched. "Take me where? Where is she taking me, Luke? Are you going, too?"
"Shh," Luke said, smoothing down the scales on Dracula's nose. "We're not going anywhere. Calm down before you explode."
Dracula exploding was a very real possibility. Two wisps of smoke curled from the dragon's nostrils. Everyone in the room held their breaths as Luke calmly rubbed the dragon's nose until the smoke disappeared.
Mr. Leery cleared his throat. "Natalie, once a link has chosen you, it cannot be undone. It is for always."
Mo jumped off the counter onto Mr. Leery's shoulder, and curled around the old man's neck. "Forever," Mo repeated with a purr.
"Or at least for two hundred years, because that's how long each trio of Keyholders is in charge," Penny said.
"Oh dear, oh dear," Mr. Leery said. "Not in charge. Not yet. You're simply not ready. You need training. You and your links."
At his words, Penny placed her hand on Kirin's neck. Luke automatically moved next to Dracula. It was almost as if a magnet pulled them close together.
Natalie stomped her foot, totally forgetting about the rat clinging to her laces. Buttercup flew across the room, her whiskers trembling. "You mean I'll be stuck with a rat for the rest of my life?" Natalie yelled.
"Shh," Penny told Natalie. "You'll hurt Buttercup's feelings."
"Rats don't have feelings!" Natalie screeched.
"Are you sure about that?" Luke asked, pointing to the floor.
Buttercup picked up her tail and walked out of the kitchen without saying a word.
Mr. Leery put his hands together and looked sharply at Natalie. "Things are not always what they seem. The sooner you realize that, the happier you will be."
"I'd be happier with a better link. Couldn't I have a fairy or a mermaid?" Natalie asked.
"How about a giant troll with yellow teeth and green hair?" Luke said with a grin. For once, he thought, Natalie got exactly what she deserved. A rat.
Mo arched his back and hissed at Natalie. "The day will come when you thank your lucky stars that you have Buttercup, for she is worth a thousand fairies, a million mermaids, and hundreds of ogres. Just wait and see!"
Natalie looked into the living room at Buttercup. She was just a rat, wasn't she?
CHAPTER 3
At school the next day, Natalie definitely didn't look like the prissy girl everyone was used to. Her hair stuck up in knots and nothing she wore matched. That wasn't the worst thing. Her clothes actually had tiny holes all over them, even her shoes. She slowly walked up the sidewalk as if she were sleepwalking. She clutched her pink notebook over her chest like a shield. The eight-armed rubber ogre on top of her pencil trembled with every step she took.
No one could believe that Natalie, the richest and most spoiled girl in Morgantown, had holes in her clothes.
Penny and Luke waited until the other kids had gone into school before pulling Natalie behind the Morgantown Elementary sign. "What happened to you?" Penny asked when she was sure they were alone.
"Are teeny tiny holes a new fashion trend?" Luke teased.
Natalie looked at Penny and Luke as though they were strangers, but finally she shuddered and started talking. "Nightmares," she said. "I had nightmares. All night long."
"Nightmares are bad," Penny said.
When Natalie spoke her voice shook. "These were worse than bad. They were terrible, awful, horrible nightmares."
"What did you dream about?" Luke asked.
"Trolls," Natalie said. "Hairy trolls and ogres covered in warts."
Luke laughed. "That's what you get for having that silly pencil topper you're always waving under people's noses," he told her.
Natalie had started carrying around her pink notebook and pencil during the summer. She took it everywhere she went so she could write down what people did. She called herself a spy. Other people called her nosy. And that was just the nice people. Some called her worse.
Natalie held up her pencil and shook her head. "This isn't the kind of ogre that was in my dreams," she said. "I dreamed about the real kind. The kind that live on the other side of magic." She whispered the last part even though no one was within hearing distance.
Luke and Penny glanced over their shoulders. They weren't watching for other kids. They were looking for shadows that might've crept over the border that separated their world from the land of magic. Before they left Mr. Leery's cottage the night before, Mr. Leery had warned them that the Queen of Boggarts would be determined to halt the transfer of Keyholder powers from Mr. Leery to them. Once she did that, she could destroy the border between the magic and real world. Then every evil creature could easily invade the world that they had always known as real.
"You don't really think they'd come here for us, do you?" Natalie asked.
Penny gripped Natalie by the shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. "The Queen already sent a boggart spy. Remember Bobby? He was one of them. And he came right into our classroom."
Bobby was a spy sent by the Queen of Boggarts to find out who Mr. Leery had selected to apprentice as Keyholders. Penny and Luke found out the hard way that boggarts were skillful shape-shifters. When they had seen what a real boggart was like, they found out fast that not all creatures from the other side of magic were wonderful like Kirin, Dracula, and Mo.
The skies around the school were oppressively cloudy. A gray fog stretched across the playground. "Those ugly boggart spies could be watching us right now," Luke warned, as he looked around. "No place is safe when it comes to boggarts."
"What if she sends more spies ... or something even worse to try to stop us from learning to be Keyholders?" Penny asked.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Keyholders #2: The Other Side of Magic"
by .
Copyright © 2009 Debra S. Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones.
Excerpted by permission of Tom Doherty Associates.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.